Equestria, A Flux Tale
by Star Sage
Summary: A tiny human lands in the magical land of Equestria. In so doing he finds a world of giant ponies who offer him only friendship. As his life there takes hold, he must ask himself important questions, like how he can help? And how can he get home? More importantly, does he even wish to return to that world he left behind?
1. Arrival

~Disconnected thoughts~ The void shifts, moves, and you know nothing beyond it. That's normal for the void though, and you continue your drifting, seeing nothing, sensing nothing. The void is empty, as it should be. Then suddenly, there is a light. Where it comes from, what it is, you do not know, the void is still entrapping all your thoughts. Before you can pull yourself from the void enough to think, there is a sensation, like the light was burning you away, stripping you of yourself, and replacing it with something new, and when it was done, you dropped out of the sky, the void shattering, and waking you up, as you plummeted, landing with a loud thud amid a sea of green flat trees, none of which looked particularly healthy considering their flatness. Still, they make good supports for you as you lean against one, trying to rise from where you had been laying.

You're sore, so you know you're awake, that was a good thing. Still, where were you? Looking around only reveals more of the odd flat trees, all many times bigger than you. That doesn't prevent a breeze from blowing at you, and you realize with a start, you're not in what you remembering going to sleep in, but instead in your more casual t-shirt and blue jean shorts, the stuff with no markings on them, just jeans and a blue shirt. This means you'd been going somewhere, doesn't it? Before you can consider this thought for long though, something big, white, and heavy slams into the trees around you, making you think the world was ending, and you'd just been spared from it until this moment, as you dive for cover, folding your arms over your head, and just lying there for a few silent moments.

When it became obvious that you were still alive, you slowly raised your head, lifting your arms, and turning. What you saw…was impossible. It defied though, reason, and everything you knew about the way the universe worked. It was a huge leg, you could see hair covering most of it, soft white hair, or fur more likely, and your eyes traveled up it, until you spotted a pair of shades on a face that was equally impossible, not for the size, but for the look of it. That was…a pony….from a cartoon. Your mind went wild with thoughts, a thousand trains of ideas that smashed together into one pileup as you stared at Vinyl Scratch, otherwise known as DJ-Pon3, and tried to reboot your logic centers.

She was quite a sight, really. You weren't sure how tall you were, considering that the ponies themselves never had anyone you knew the height of to measure themselves against, but if you were normal for a human, this pony was at least 100 feet tall, probably a lot more, and she was on all fours, meaning standing on her back hooves, she was probably more than twice that, from the tip of her nose, to her tail. That was quite a titan, like something out of the old legends, and you stood there, frozen looking up at her, at least until you realized one of her white hooves was hovering in the air above you, and you were forced to make tracks, running out from under it just as it slammed down into the ground behind you, flattening the grass that had barely felt your weight, and leaving an impression in the dirt that hadn't even moved for you.

You then sit there for a moment, staring up at the female pony. She towers above you, and is looking around, obviously searching for something, and not seeing it, which seems to annoy her, given her grunts, which don't sound all that loud to you, as you would have thought. Suddenly, she takes another step, and begins to walk away from you, her speed belying her size, and you quickly see an opportunity. Her tail is just barely brushing the ground, the soft blue fur leaving a small trail of displaced dirt behind it. A quick hop, and you could ride the pony DJ to wherever it was she was going, which probably wouldn't be a bad idea, considering you were standing in the middle of a rather busy street. Of course, doing so would expose you to as yet unknown dangers.

Sighing, you figure there's not really a choice here. The next one to come down the street could step right on you, and never notice, so without a thought, you leap into the air as the tail passes over you, and grab onto a thick hair. Luckily, or unluckily, depending on how you looked at it, you were so small, you were a barely noticeable, meaning she didn't shake you loose, or turn around to crush you. Or help you either, which you figured she might do. Instead you were stuck holding on as the tail bobbed a bit with her walking, making you feel grateful you hadn't eaten too much at lunch today, otherwise you wouldn't have been able to keep it down, the constant motion nearly making you lose what little food you did eat as it just kept going.

Luckily, this time really, Vinyl didn't need to go far to get to her destination, as she came to a place that looked like a massive hanger from your perspective, with a door that could have permitted planes to fly in and out o easily. Of course, you chided yourself about that observation, considering your stature, it might just be her home, and still hanging on, you started to dart your eyes everywhere the instant you were inside, finding that yes, it was a house, with several posters of Vinyl on the walls, as well as another pony, this one with grey fur covering her body, a black mane, and pink eyes, as well as a fancy cutie mark that looked like that thing you see at the beginning of music sheets. She looked to be playing a lot of fancy stringed instruments too, and as Vinyl went deeper into the house, you wondered what their connection was.

Luckily, you don't have to wonder long, as soon DJ Pon-3 comes to a stop in a room that looks like a living room, though a bit different than ones you're used to. First there was the size thing of course, everything around you was positively massive, from the table in the middle of the room that looked like a mesa from the south western US, to the carpet that passed below you that might as well have been a forest. Other than that though was that there were no chairs, just these bench style things, which made sense, considering it would be awfully awkward to sit on a chair or the like in any comfortable fashion, if you were a quadruped like the ponies were. Vinyl, proving how she'd sit, goes to one of the bench like things, and climbs on, sitting down by curling her back legs under herself, and allowed you to drop off, finding the soft cushion didn't even bend under your weight at you landed.

"Tavi! I'm home!" she shouted suddenly, and you had to cover your ears. It wasn't that she sounded like you'd think she should, her every voice an explosion, it was just the girl was loud in her own right, probably from having to shout over crowds at concerts and the like, and you fall over from having your eardrums blasted, not being able to make out a much softer reply from a voice deeper inside the house, at least until a second pony form comes from the back of the home, the ash colored pony woman from the posters near the door, carrying in her mouth a try that had some sandwiches and glasses which she set down on the table, before climbing onto a bench opposite Vinyl, rendering you out of direct sight from her thanks to how Vinyl was sitting.

"So, how went the job hunt today?" asked Octavia, you recognizing her from the Gala, as the Cello player from the band that Pinkie Pie had co-opted to perform her pony pokie.

"Well, there's a funny story there," began Vinyl, causing Octavia to sigh in what had to be a common pattern with her.

"Let me guess, you didn't really look for one, did you?" she said in answer to her own question.

"Hey! It's not like we really need money. Cousin Rar said we could stay in this house as long as we needed while the studio's being rebuilt," said Scratch, defending herself in a way she'd probably done a hundred times before.

"Yes, your cousin did say we could borrow this house as long as we needed, but that's not the point. We need money to live on Vinyl, since the Princess has cut us off from our show's stipend, to pay for those damages you caused," accused the ash colored mare.

"That wasn't my fault. How was I supposed to know that equipment couldn't handle my tunes!" she responded, and Octavia merely sighed, putting her hoof to her face, and shaking her head. This conversation was actually getting interesting, and you were starting to wonder just what the pair was talking about. However, your curiosity kept you distracted too much to notice that Vinyl, in her agitated state, was whipping her tail back and forth, and when it came too low, you were brushed, which is to say, smacked into the air by it, and sent flying, straight towards the table, and more specifically towards the plate with the food on it.

The flight is harsh, and though you try to cry out, the air is ripped from you lungs, making it impossible to draw a breath or do anything, so you close your eyes tightly, hoping that you land somewhere soft, and with a bounce, you find out that you do. This particular softness smells of wheat in fact, and upon opening your eyes, and letting your vision clear a bit, you find yourself sitting comfortably on one of the sandwich, looking up at the two titanesses, neither of which had noticed your flight, and are still staring at each other across the plate...well, you assume Vinyl is starting at Octavia anyway, with those dark sunglasses on, it's kind of hard to tell, though the look on the rest of her face is one of at least mild annoyance, if not anger.

"You told me when I first showed up for that ridiculous job that you'd tested all the equipment, and it was, how did you put it, as solid as you where?" claimed Octavia, the little lip she added to her voice, obviously making fun of Vinyl's own speech.

"Well excuse me. I thought it would hold. And if I remember correctly, you didn't object to me plugging in that amp when we were talking about hooking it up to your hello thing," responded the pony of pop.

"It's a cello, as you well know, and I most certainly did object, you just ignored me, as usual," came the snappy reply.

"You should have objected harder than!" shouted the white unicorn, her fore hoof coming down hard on the table, making you bounce, and land with a clink on the plate, the odd noise drawing Octavia's eye downward, and you panic. The first response to something near your food was to smash it, and investigate what it was later, especially something your size, but then, you had no idea how she would react. Maybe you should stay where you are, get noticed. Of course, perhaps you should try and hide, the nearest place being the sandwich you had just been on top of.

You needed attention, that was apparent. Whatever else, you needed someone to pay attention to you, and see you, and if you hid now, that chance might not come again, considering how easily you were almost crushed before, and so you stand where you are, and even start waving your hands in the air above your head, not frantically, since that might cause an instant 'kill it' reaction, but slowly, and deliberately, hoping that that gets her to take a closer look. For her part, Octavia just sits there for a moment, staring down at the tray on the table, not sure what she's seeing. Of course, after a moment, she does indeed lean closer, before hopping backwards, and falling over herself as she tries to get away from you.

"Kill it, kill it! There's a bug on the table!" she shouts as she does an almost complete backflip, before landing with a heavy thud somewhere behind the couch she'd been sitting on. Looking after her, you wonder for a moment if she was okay, when a shadow suddenly comes over you, and you look up to find yourself staring into the goggled face of the pony of pop herself.

Vinyl, for her part, didn't seem to be too disgusted with you, her expression was one of interest, rather than revulsion. You hope for a moment that her interest is enough to overcome her roommate's terror at the sight of you, but then you find her hoof hovering over you, and you shout at her to stop, just as it comes down, blocking your view, and filling the sky, as a force surrounds your body and pulls you upward.

It took you a moment to realize you hadn't heard the telltale crack of bones as your body was ground into a mushy paste, and belatedly, you open an eye just a crack, and then open both wide in shock. Vinyl's face was right in front of yours, and needless to say, it wasn't the most pleasant sight. Well, actually, she had a perfectly fine face, with nice curves and features, for a pony, but then there's the face that it was positively massive. You could have fit up her nostril easily, and you were sure her teeth were bigger than you, a revelation made all the more disheartening when you realize that had you stayed on the sandwich you'd landed on, you likely would even now have been lunch for her or Octavia, though for now, she seems to stare at you, her goggles making you feel like you were being analyzed.

"Octy...I don't think this is a bug," she says at last, and you feel the force holding you up, which, rather than her unicorn telekinesis, appears to be coming from her hoof itself, possibly explaining how ponies can 'hold' things sometimes. Anyway, the force suddenly flips you over, and you land with a grunt on the flat of her hoof, as she holds you out towards Octavia, who is starting to pick herself up, running her hoof through her mane, and then straightening her bow tie, before hopping over the couch she'd been laying on, and leaning closer in towards you, her eye filling you sky like some kind of black hole, looking like it was going to suck you into its depths.

"Well, you, would be one to know about such pests, but if it's not a bug, what is it?" she asks, after a time, leaning back, and looking at Vinyl who starts to shrug, and you are faced with a dilemma. Apparently, Vinyl hadn't heard you before, and so, neither of the ponies know you can talk. That might not be a bad thing, considering you still aren't completely sure how to broach the subject of the show, and, quite honestly, have no idea how you got here. On the other hand, they might just crush a stupid thing even one they don't think is a bug, if it doesn't show itself to be intelligent. That last thought compels you to speak.

"I'm called a human, homo sapien sapien, a member of the genus homo, which is of the tribe hominini, of the family hominidae, proud member of the order of primates, and a mammal, obviously, given I have hair, an endoskeleton, and I give birth to live children...well not me specifically, but a female of my species does," you tell the pair, wondering why you remember all that from wikipedia, but then, it was like TVTropes, you would read one article, and be lost all day, and for some reason the stuff about humans stuck with you. Of course, being ponies, the pair of musicians say nothing for a moment, neither probably knowing what to say, at least, until Octavia leans closer again, and you fall flat on your bum as her face becomes the sky again.

"You can talk? I don't think I've ever heard of a creature your size speaking before," she comments, seemingly more to herself than anyone else, as Vinyl is still stunned for a moment, before shaking her head, and consequently you as her hoof shakes a bit, before smirking.

"Neat, this little dude sounds like that Twilight girl from the library. Know any more big words? I think I can work those into a song if you say them again," she says, and you can already hear her humming a bit, probably trying to get a beat down for the song she was already composing in her head.

"Vinyl, this is serious, we have found a new lifeform, something I've never heard of before, don't treat this like meeting some fan at one of those raid things," chides Octavia, and Vinyl stops smiling, using her other hoof to lower her goggles for a moment, showing you are rather striking pair of red eyes behind them.

"It's called a rave, Octavia, as you well know, and I'm being perfectly serious. After all, what better way to commemorate discovery than with a tune?" she asks, and starts bobbing her head to her tune, which you recognize as something you've heard before. Of course, you wonder, idly, if you should stop the argument, as the pair of them seem to be ignoring you now in favor of each other, and you kind of don't want them to forget you're here. Again, you decide to err on the side of self-preservation, and speak up.

"Um, you could just ask me how I feel about it," you offer, and they both look at you like your crazy for a moment, before Octavia smiles sweetly, and with an odd motion you can't follow, you suddenly find yourself gently cradled in her hooves, and held in front of her face, rather than being only loosely held in Vinyl's.

"Of course, I'm sorry, we just get so tangled up in our confrontations that we forget about everything. Still, you said you're a human, where did you come from? Are there more like you nearby?" she asks, and trots back to her seat. Vinyl, seemingly losing interest in the whole affair, continues to hum, even as she levitates one of the sandwiches to her mouth, and attacks it, her mouth closing over it, and just tearing a chunk off violently, sending crumbs flying everywhere as she chews with her mouth open, and then swallows, before going back in.

"Er...uh, well, I don't know. I don't know anything about how I got here, I went to sleep last night, and then, like a horror flick, woke up in a jungle of tall grass, and after Vinyl almost stepped on me, I grabbed her tail, and rode her here. So there could be people in the town square, but I don't think there was," you tell her, finding it actually pretty easy to talk to her, despite your size. Your voice, at least, hadn't been shrunk, and she seemed to be able to hear you just fine, which was a good thing, as you really didn't want to have to shout everything you wanted her to hear. Also good because Vinyl's humming had turned into singing, a bit off key, some lyrics, through her mouthful, which rained gooier bits of sandwich over the table.

"Well, that's unfortunate. Still, it would probably be best to take you to someone in authority, perhaps they can help," she suggested, leaning away from Vinyl, who bolts up at the word, authority, and looks around, like she was afraid she'd done something wrong.

"Wait wait wait wait wait...wait, you mean, you want us to turn him over to somepony who might dissect him to see how he works, or lock him away as some kind of invader from another world, or maybe even use him to find some way to get to his world, and force his tiny people to build statues in our honor," she climbs onto the table, knocking over the cups as she stands on her rear hooves, and holds her forehooves to the sky, "Statues that shine with the glory of the master species, where we can stride as gods!?"

"Um, that sounds all well and good Vinyl, but I don't think anypony here was suggesting we do any such thing. I was suggesting we take her to Twilight, I'm sure your cousin would know where to find her, and having the Princess help him get home," she corrected, motioning for Vinyl to step down from the table, not that she did so immediately, as she seemed to like making dramatic statements like that.

"I don't think that would be a good idea. You know the Princess would be all kinds of concerned about Equestria's safety, and who knows what else. But I know I can get in contact with Princess Luna. She's an Alicorn too, anything our royal dictator can do, I'm sure she can do twice as good," responded Vinyl with a head nod, acting like that was that as she sat back down on her couch.

"Princess Celestia is no dictat-you know what, no, I won't be dragged into yet another argument with you. What do you think, do you want to go to the Princess, or the Princess...er, I mean, Celestia or Luna," asked Octavia, trying to ignore Vinyl sticking her tongue out at her, mumbling something about stick in the mud under her breath, but loudly enough you, and more importantly the one holding you, couldn't help but hear.


	2. Making Aquaintances

You considered this question carefully. The two sisters were powerful, you knew that from the show, Celetsia literally raised the sun before your eyes, and displayed her power a few times in other works. Luna, in the meantime was just as strong, summoning a storm over Ponyville on Nightmare Night, as well as a few other demonstrations of her power when she was Nightmare Moon. Both seemed to be good choices, Luna was, once cleansed of evil, a kind, and caring, if someone oblivious god queen, and Celestia, for all some people, including Vinyl apparently, thought her an evil, power mad dictator, had seemed nothing but kind to you on the show. Thinking this, you shook you head, and nodded up at Octavia, who still held you in her hooves.

"Let's go see Rarity," you said simply, and Octavia smiled back at you, before sliding off the couch, and then holding you in only her left front hoof for a moment, before leaning back and placing you on her flank, where you grabbed a few hairs to hold yourself in place, as she started trotting towards the door.

"Oh, so you're just going to go get yourself dissected then? Cut up just to see how you tick?!" demanded Vinyl as she followed, her tone implying more friendly jibs than anything else, though you had to admit, the thought of being studied had crossed your mind. What if they really did want to study you, and what if your size was still normal, and it was just…the ponies were huge. What if they then tried to cross over? You had all sorts of images, but the problem with most of them was that, despite their size, the ponies didn't seem the type to willingly hurt anyone, at least physically. Everything you'd seen of this world was good, and you had to trust that everything you hadn't seen was good too, as the musical devas exited their house, and walked the streets.

The streets, now that you didn't have to worry about getting stepped on, or falling off the pony you were riding, looked quite interesting. To one side was the stand where Applebloom was selling apples, to the other was Sugar Cube Corner, and you could hear some off note singing from Pinkie Pie inside, something about brownies, though it was hard to hear from this distance. Off down one of the streets, you spotted the library, where Twilight lived, and for a moment, you were tempted to tell your rides that, but then realized something, you hadn't mentioned the show yet, not to them. You'd told them you were from another world, and your species, but not that on your world that theirs was a show, a piece of fiction, intended for children.

Did you dare mention it though? After all, it might do some damage somehow that you couldn't comprehend. How would you feel, after all, if you were just someone else's story? Then of course, there was the fourth wall to consider. Pinkie and Spike leaned on it, or out and out broke it all the time, but they did so from the side of fiction, not reality. Whatever had brought you here, and you refused to even consider that you had gone insane and were imagining this, and a few bumps on your body that hurt told you you weren't dreaming, it must have had a purpose. Luckily, neither of your hostesses had caught onto you knowing too much about their world, or that you knew Rarity's name without them asking, and for the moment, you intended on keeping them in the dark about that, to avoid any unpleasantness. At least for now.

Thinking such deep thoughts, you completely missed Octavia and Vinyl reaching Carousel Boutique. Really, the show never did it justice. The place was, from your perspective, big as a mountain...maybe even a whole range of mountains, but still, somehow lovely and gaudy at the same time. Every line, every bit of plaster, had been designed, probably by the Fashion Pony herself, and it all flowed together in a way that was just perfect. Of course, it was only then you smelled it, and it was quite an experience there. You hadn't thought of it before, but dress making, especially for fancy stuff back in the day, involved a lot of chemicals, and this place was no exception, as you could smell the stuff used for various dyes and fabric softeners, and it nearly caused you to keel over.

"I will never understand how someone like you can be related to someone like Rarity," chided Octavia as they got to the door.

"Hey, just because I'm not a pompous wind bag doesn't mean I'm not proper. Besides, you should meet my aunt and uncle sometime. Now they are a hoot and a half," claimed the pop pony as she pushed the door open, revealing the Boutique to you, and it was lovely, if smelly. Of course, the scene was one of movement, as somepony was quickly running around the shop, and to your surprise it was the normally composed Rarity, her mane flying behind her as she dashed about in a panic.

The motion blur that was Rarity was babbling about stupid rush orders, as her telekinesis was grabbing various fabrics and things and dragging them in front of her face, lacing them together quickly, almost haphazardly to your eyes, but in a flash, they became a dress, a complete and without a seam showing, to be laid on one of her models, before racing off to do the next. Octavia and Vinyl, probably having expected a bit less of a frantic scene in the shop, which had looked calm and nice from the outside, just stood near the door, staring at her. As they waited to be noticed, you noted that Vinyl was smiling, probably enjoying her cousin's disorganization, which showed how different the two were in methods, and gave a few more clues as to Vinyl's personality.

It was, by your guess, a full fifteen minutes before Rarity, having made something like twenty dresses and twelve suits in that time, finally fell to the floor, gasping for breath, and just to show she wasn't all bad, Vinyl levitated her fainting couch towards her, allowing Rarity to fall into it, still seemingly oblivious to the musical ponies who'd entered her shop as she lay there. Looking around, you were impressed. The outfits, despite looking like they'd been thrown together randomly at first glance, all had an earth tone theme to them, and looking from one to another, you could tell they all had a similar look to them in the details, meaning while no one would be wearing the same outfit from this group, you could still tell they were part of the same line, showing just how much of a fashion genius Rarity was.

"Um, Ms. Rarity," Octavia spoke up at last, causing Rarity to turn her head wearily to face the pair, only to bolt upright when she did.

"Oh, Octavia, I'm sorry, I didn't see you come in," she said, getting up quickly and walking towards a door, "let me go get you some refreshments."

"Hmm, that doesn't sound too bad, considering we didn't eat those sandwiches you made," said Vinyl, as she followed, and Octavia muttered something about Vinyl that you couldn't hear, but sounded rather unpleasant. The pair, well trio since you were with them, walked into the kitchen, and you noticed it looked better than the last time you'd seen it, cleaner, and Rarity, knowing exactly where to go, soon had the table set with a plate of pastries, and some glasses of tea, making you wish you'd been transported with a soda, as you doubted the ponies had any of that particular drink, though perhaps, if you could remember how it was made, you could introduce it to them. Ponies on a caffeine buzz sounded like fun.

"Now then, what are you two doing here? Was there something wrong with the house?" asked Rarity pleasantly, her tone saying she would fix anything the pair had found out of place at their new abode.

"What? Oh, no Ms. Rarity, it really is quite a lovely home, and I must thank you again for helping us out while the studio in Canterlot is rebuilt," responded Octavia.

"Yeah, that place is actually pretty swank, though Octy did object to sharing the bed last night," said Vinyl with a mischievous smirk.

"Well, it just didn't seem proper that we...you know what, nevermind, you're just trying to distract me from why we're here," she said, and suddenly you found Octavia's face hovering over you, mouth wide open, her tongue lolling out, and with a shout, you were scooped up on the slimy member, and then dropped as lightly as possible on the table in front of her.

"Hmm?" went Rarity, as she leaned forward, looking at what, at first, was probably a glob of saliva on her nice clean table cloth, but then started to move.

"That was gross...do it again!" intoned Vinyl, smiling and shaking her head, while Octavia and you, as you shook yourself off, stared daggers at her.

"I will not, though I must admit, you do have a rather pleasant aftertaste...um, that sounds odd, just forget I said that," responded Octavia, making you give her an odd look, and Vinyl an almost identical one, as she blushed a bit.

"Anyway, Ms. Rarity, this, I believe he said hugh man, right?" she asked, looking towards you, and as you stood up, ringing your clothes out, you nodded up at her.

"Right, this human found his way into the house you were loaning us, and made contact with us. He claims to be from another world entirely, and we were wondering if you could take him to Princess Celestia's student, so she could take him to Celestia herself and maybe find him a way home," she says, and Rarity, looking down at you, leans closer, her eye filling up your sky, and causing you to fall on your bottom again as you try to stare into it.

"Hmm, that sounds alright with me, um are all humans this small?" she asks, turning her head towards Octavia, while Vinyl, seemingly ignoring the pair, was tearing into a pastry from the plate that Rarity had offered.

"No, no we're not. At least, I don't think so," you say to her, and she suddenly jumps back, the table shaking violently, and causing Octavia to hop back as well in surprise. Of course, due to your size, the shaking table sends you flying for the second time today, and you sail right towards Vinyl, who had stepped back, and was about to tear into another pastry.

You close your eyes as you think you're going to miss everything and slam into the hard floor, hoping that your terminal velocity is actually slow enough to keep you from dying. Of course, then you land on something soft, and get driven into it up to your waist, making you complain, though muffledly, as you try and extricate yourself from the situation, and finding that the soft terrain helped with that as well, allowing you to pull yourself out, and then stare right into a gaping abyss. Apparently, Vinyl, barely noticing anything, hadn't seen your miniscule form flop onto her snack, a donut, and before you could cry out, she shoved the shimmering treat into her mouth with her telekinesis, her teeth snapping shut behind you, and sealing you inside her dark, dank maw.

There was some luck of course, the donut was small, and so it easily fit inside Vinyl's mouth, probably some fancy finger/hoof/whatever food that Rarity kept on hand just in case some important visitors came by. That meant that you wouldn't have to deal with Vinyl chewing you up, though your body was drenched in sweat in seconds, and a glob of saliva a moment later, meaning that you were once again soaked. It also meant that, Vinyl, being a bit of a messy eater, didn't bother with chewing, and so, without a care, you felt everything shift backwards, and you surged towards the opening at the rear of her throat, the wall undulating around you, and squeezing you, as you were passed down into her neck, and then shifting hard as you hit the base of it, before falling out into her belly.

"Vinyl, stop stuffing you face and help us search," you heard Octavia say through the walls, her voice distorted by various organic sounds, the lungs that roared like jet engines, the heart thudding in the background, and most disturbingly, a gurgling sound from deeper in the stomach. Luckily, again, the donut was floating on Vinyl's stomach juices, and so you were safe from the bubbling muck below you, for the moment. So, with some safety even here, you start to call out to Octavia and Vinyl, wondering if your voice could get through the pop pony's pudge, like Octavia's could for you.

"Hey! You can stop looking, Vinyl found me!" you shout, and suddenly everything shifts wildly, and then starts to spin, your ride slamming into the wall and staying there thanks to centrifugal force, as you cry out.

"Stop!" you yell, and everything freezes just as suddenly, and you are left to slosh around a bit, before it all finally stops, and you luckily, still find yourself floating on the donut.

"Hello? Where are you?" asks Octavia's sweet voice, probably looking on the floor for you, thinking you were about to be stepped on.

"I'm inside Vinyl, floating in her stomach juices on a donut, and it's not a pleasant experience, let me tell you," you respond, pulling away from a bubble of stomach juices that pops near you, watching as the stuff bubbles a bit against the top of the donut, "And I would appriciate some aid in escaping...in other words, GET ME OUT OF HERE!" you cry.

"Oh no, not again...I hope Twilight can help this time," comes Rarity's voice, actually rather calm considering the circumstances.

"What do you mean, again?" says Vinyl, and you feel everything shake and bob again, as Vinyl's body shudders a little with her speech, though you don't cry out this time, as you were wondering what she was talking about too.

"A few weeks ago, Applejack got herself shrunk by the Poison Joke again, and something like this happened," she answered, and you could feel Vinyl walking, causing more waves, though these weren't nearly as rough as the spinning from before.

"Applejack?" came Vinyl's question.

"Poison Joke?" was Octavia's, both asked at the same time.

"Applejack is the farmer you met the other day Vinyl, can't you remember anyone not one of your fans? As for the Joke, it's a plant outside of town, and it likes to play these awful, awful jokes on you if you touch it, I don't want to think about it. Still, Applejack's joke is probably the worst, as it shrinks her down to the size of a toy. The second time that happened to her, she got swallowed. First by Dashie, then by Pinkie, and lastly by Derpy Hooves, our local mail pony. Luckily, Twilight does have a spell to get one out of this, so I suggested we go find her, before Vinyl digests her meal," she said, and you can feel everything slosh again, as Vinyl starts to move, it might be a good idea to speak up and have Vinyl stay still. Then again, resting did help the digestive process, and your ride was already a bit soggier than it was before, maybe it would be best to get to Twilight as soon as possible. That last part, the fact that your donut was dissolving anyway, kept your mouth shut.

The contents of the stomach slosh from side to side as Vinyl walks, and oddly, you find the motion, mixed with the rhythmic thudding of her heart, to be rather calming. Heck, if you could do something about the smell, and the danger, this experience might not be so bad. Luckily, the donut was pretty solid, all things considered, and it still stayed floating, even as the gastric acids around you churned a bit, the walls undulating to shift and mix the contents of Vinyl's belly, which includes one tiny human right now. You avoid the stuff that splashes against your ride, and then are forced to grab on tight as the donut smacks the stomach wall, which smacks back, making you wonder if Vinyl can feel any of this, as the ride continues.

Luckily, Ponyville is small, at least compared to the human towns you're used to, and so you soon come to a stop, and you can hear voices, but quiet ones. At first, you think it might be because they're trying not to scare you or anything if Twilight can't help you, but then you realize it was because there's another source of noise drowning the others out. That noise was the stomach, or more likely intestine, below you, that gurgled loudly now, and you could smell a tinge in the air that wasn't there before. Looking down, you find your ride sinking into the stomach juices. Vinyl was still, and after the walk, her stomach was kicking itself into overdrive, which meant that, before your very eyes, you could see the donut you were riding on dissolving in the stomach juices.

"Uh, ladies! Help!" you shout, but your own voice, much like theirs, was more muffled than before, and you began to realize you were in danger of being digested. After coming all this way too, and even getting spotted at your size, you were still going to end up a meal for a pony. That really seemed unfair, and you mentally cursed whatever force dragged you here, even as you jumped as the edge of the donut sank into the stuff, and you had to get to the other side to avoid a similar fate. Now lying hard against the soft donut, staring down into the bubbling, churning mixture, which was getting closer by the second, you closed your eyes, bracing for the end, being digested because someone was taking too long to explain something. Death by infodump, that had to be a new one.

All at once though, you weren't where you were. You weren't what you were either. It was hard to put into words. It was like floating, light infused your being, a purple light, coming in through the walls, and surrounding you with a flash like a camera, and then you were gone. You could still think, in this state, despite realizing you had no body, and you wondered, idly, if this was how it felt to enter the pony universe, as it felt familiar, but at the same time, completely alien, like you'd literally just gotten up, and walked out of yourself, and you were now a formless spirit. This was liberating, truth to tell, and though you couldn't move yourself, you felt some force tugging at you, and let yourself drift at its whim, before suddenly, you had weight, and you fell with a grunt against a hard wood surface.

"Are you alright?" a voice asked, in fact, several did, but one stood out for you. It was melodic, and as you blinked your eyes, which were blinded by sudden light where they had seen nothing before, you found yourself staring upwards into the shadowy form of an angel. The face, the curves, the eyes, deep and soulful eyes, drew you towards them, especially with the concern shining in them. Of course, then you realized you were staring into Octavia's face, and had to blush at the thoughts you been having, as you tried to stand up and dust yourself off, making two more discoveries. First off, you were no longer bug sized, as Octavia's face, along with Rarity's, Twilight's, and Vinyl's, didn't fill the whole sky. Probably you were mouse sized now, at least compared to them, which would make this whole being tiny thing a bit more bearable. The second thing you noticed though, that was a bit different. Well, not so much you, as your wardrobe, which has pulled a Houdini, and left you standing start naked on the floor of Twilight's library. Idly, you wonder how many bronies would pay to be in this position.


	3. Realizations

After a moment of panic, where you tried to cover yourself up, you quickly figured that, due to the ponies not normally wearing clothing, it was likely that Twilight's spell that teleported you out of Vinyl's stomach was probably just targeting you, as she likely had no way at all to sense your clothing or anything, as you'd figured from the show that magic relied on stuff like life to lock onto. Another moment of thought, and you also realized that your hostesses were all nude, save for Rarity's hat and Octavia's bow tie, meaning that not a single one of them likely saw a problem with your condition, and might take silence to mean something had gone wrong, so trying your best not to keep blushing, you looked up into Octavia's face, and tried to smile.

"I'm fine, and in fact, better than I was, considering I'm about ten times the size I was," you say, trying to look nonchalant, though your hands kept resting over parts of your anatomy you were wishing had some covering.

"You seem to have lost that dreadful ensemble you were wearing though. Twilight quick, get me some fabric," said Rarity suddenly, either noticing your discomfort, or just thinking more of fashion than you would have. She then wanders off, either forgetting what she asked Twilight, or realizing that Twilight probably had some questions herself, as she stared at you. Given your nudity, that was probably not the best thing for your self-esteem, as you felt yourself blushing some more.

"Interesting, so, hugh mans are bipedal, and mammalian," she said, and Octavia nodded.

"I believe he mentioned the mammal classification before, along with a list of other names that identified his family and genus," says Octavia.

"Yeah, he said, 'Genus Homo, Tribe hominini, Family hominidae, Order Primate!'" chimed in Vinyl, giving your words a nice beat as she bounced her head along with some music only she could hear. The other two ponies both looked at her strange for that, but Octavia just shook her head, and Twilight seemed to think of something, and quickly rushed to the wall of books behind her, and began to pull tomes from the wall, looking at their covers and then discarding them, leaving you with Octavia, as Vinyl was now humming a tune to herself and seemed lost in her own little world.

"Since I know Vinyl's not going to apologize for her actions, she never does, I will do so, on her behalf and say I'm sorry that you got eaten," she said, leaning down towards you as she curled her legs under herself.

"Heh, it's okay. I mean, this did make me bigger, which probably means I really am supposed to be larger. Whatever brought me here must have shrunk me. I wonder what gods I pissed off to cause this to happen though," you comment, setting down cross legged on the floor, finding it to actually be rather clean, probably Spike and the Owl's doing, as Twilight was busy creating a mess looking through her books, and groaning as she couldn't seem to find the one she wanted.

"Oh, you have those on your world as well? Do you think Celestia and Luna can contact them? I've heard the Princesses can see into other worlds, and maybe they could help get you home?" she asked, sounding intrigued by the idea of other gods.

"Well, not really. The gods of my world are creatures of myth and legend. If they exist at all, which some people doubt, they don't do the whole, 'raise the sun and moon' thing anymore. Heck, my planet orbits our sun, spinning in space, while the moon orbits the world. Heh, that reminds me, I'm an astronaut now," you suddenly realize with a smirk. Every kid's dream, to be an astronaut, at least for a while, then they switch to something else, probably a fireman or something, and yet, here you are. It's a world of simple colors, with physical goddesses that control the heavens, but still, it's another world. You've made first contact with another species, which is both awesome, and slightly scary, now that you think on it.

Before you can consider the implications farther, that you are humanities envoy to a race of equines, the fashionista returns, and she quickly smothers you in fabric, with Octavia shouting at her for being rude. Mind, Rarity is doing fashion, and so could care less about manners, as she quickly converts raw fabric into a suit, which you can feel around you. It was odd, you could feel the magic. Not just where it touched you, but you could feel the whole magical bubble around you as she lifted you up and made the clothing fit your body perfectly. When she was done, you dropped down, hearing the click of shoes on the hard wood, and looked down at yourself to find you were wearing a rather colorful new ensemble, as compared to your work a day clothes. It was actually a rather fetching business suit.

You weren't used to wearing fancier clothing, though this suit actually felt rather free and easy, rather than the tight and pinchy ones you had worn on occasion. That probably had to do with the way it was made, fitting to your body by magic, rather than made by hand with guesses at certain sizes. Looking down again, you tugged on a sleeve that bunched up a bit when you flexed your arm, and then did a quick spin on your heel, noticing that Rarity had included some nice shoes with the outfit as well, shiny black ones. Like the suit itself, they didn't pinch, though you were likely not going to be running in them any time soon, at least not without falling over on your face. Smiling, you look up to find two pony faces staring at you, Octavia and Vinyl.

"Thank you, Ms. Rarity. This suit is just awesome," you tell her, very truthfully.

"Well, you're welcome dear. I'm just glad I could help. You don't seem to have much fur on your body, and would probably freeze to death without some clothing," she answers simply.

"I think it looks positively striking myself," chimed in Octavia, smiling down at you, causing you to blush a bit again. Before the conversation could keep going towards compliments, Twilight's voice suddenly chimed in.

"Aha! I knew I had this one somewhere," she said suddenly, and walked over towards where the three of you were standing. She barely seemed to notice you hop back as she set the book down on the floor almost right on top of you, but knowing it was Twilight, she wouldn't hurt you on purpose...you hoped.

"This book is from an old survey report. It talks about a city, 'Towers of Metal and Glass that stretch into the heavens, and a network of tunnels with great metal cars' I remembered it from my time studying ancient history after that confrontation with Discord, since I didn't want to be surprised by any other Great Evils of the Past," she said, and you looked into the book. The drawings in it were crude, but effective at conveying their message. The picture was a city, a human city, but one in decay. It had sky scrapers, most of which were leaning to one side, or were missing chunks near the top, and a few houses, which were done in greater detail on smaller pictures, showing ruined homes in the suburbs of whatever city it had once been.

"The ones who wrote this talked about drawings of bipedal creatures, but the whole city vanished before they could study it in detail, leaving only desert where it had stood," she said, and flipped through a dozen pages of more drawings, before coming to a picture you recognized...sort of. It had the same 'washed out' look as the pony world, everything in it was simply colored, but it was unmistakable, it was an ad billboard, one you remembered from an old ad campaign years ago, and knew wasn't running anymore. This was...incredible, and you felt yourself fall back, as she lifted the book up so Rarity and Octavia, and interesting Vinyl who wandered over, could see it a little easier.

"So, I'm not the first human to come here then," was all you said, as Twilight flipped back through the book, showing the other ponies pages of pictures drawn of the city.

"Looks like you guys have been visiting for a while, actually. Still, they said that the beings in the pictures were giants, standing hundreds of feet tall in some cases. I wonder why you're so small," observed Ms. Sparkle, and you felt an aura cover you, before it dropped you down. Like before, you could feel the 'magic' that was being used on you, in some way you could sense it beyond what you think you really should be able to do, however, you barely notice as you're still in shock. Humans, some form of humans, a whole darned city of them, had come here before you. And it faded away after the ponies found it. Would you fade away too? Tonight, would you fall asleep in Ponyville and wake back up in your own bed(Hopefully at normal size). Moreover, did you want that to happen? After all, you were an average guy, leading an average life, nothing important ever happened to you before, but even while you aren't the first to come here, it was still probably the most momentous thing you'd ever done.

"Octavia said you wanted to see the Princess, and I'll have Spike send her a letter soon, but before that, can I study you for a bit. I have a bunch of equipment in my basement that can get some more data on you. I promise it won't hurt," she assured you, jarring you out of your thoughts, as you look into her big soulful eyes. She obviously wanted to do this, but was not one to demand such things. Octavia looked rather apprenhsively at you, probably not all that sure about that statement, considering Vinyl's own warnings before, and her 'I told you so' look now, as she tilted her glasses at Octavia. Rarity didn't seem bothered though, and it was still Twilight, she was kind, caring, and compassionate. Not as much as Fluttershy, but that didn't matter too much, so after thinking about it, you nod you consent.

Twilight, looking almost exactly like she did in the sleepover episode, stands, claps her front hooves together, and grabs you with her magic, rushing towards a door and barely remembering to open it before the pair of you smack into it. Again, you feel the magic around you, and this time you do notice it, but before you can bring it up, Twilight was down the stairs and in the makeshift lad she'd used to study Pinkie Pie's Pinkie Sense, and you found yourself dropped rather roughly into the chair she'd had the party pony sit in. Loud clopping proceeds Vinyl, Octavia, and Rarity as they quickly join you in the lab, and Twilight begins to flip switches with her magic, and turn devices on, the things looking like stuff from Dr. Frankenstein's lab, save the electrical bolts were rainbow colored and made sparkles.

"Okay, now for starts, I'm gonna run some Electromagi Graph scans of you. This shouldn't hurt a bit, but tell me if you feel anything," she said while another shimmer of magic and you found yourself naked again, with the suit teleporting off you. She then plopped one of those plunger sensor things down onto your chest, and then one on your back, and seemed to look for where to put some more, before deciding it wasn't important and laying them to the side.

"Twilight...are you sure this is safe?" asks Rarity, Vinyl and Octavia, not sure of the proper way to bring up their own concerns, were just staring at her, and then glancing back at you with pity in Octavia's eyes, and a look of 'i told you so' on Vinyl's face behind her goggles.

"Of course, I keep all my equipment in top condition," answered Twilight, and suddenly you feel a tingling sensation throughout your body. Before you can say anything though, you feel yourself shoot up into the sky, your tiny body sailing high, higher than you'd ever been before, and then slamming into something hard, before falling without a shout, and landing back in the chair you'd been sitting in before.

"Oh my! Are you alright?" Octavia cried, rushing to you, and looking you over. For your own part, you were stunned and couldn't respond, beyond a small cloud of smoke coming out of your mouth with a gasp, as your hair sizzled and a thinner pale of smoke came out of it.

"What just happened? I just turned the power on?" was Twilight's response, as she dashed to the readout machine, and began to go over the print out from the device, while the other two just look at her, Rarity with an expression that says this sort of thing happens all the time, and Vinyl...like someone who really wanted to push the blinking buttons on Twilight's toys.

"I think you need to be a bit more careful Twilight, after all, we don't want to hurt our new friend...any more than we already have at any rate," said Rarity, as she comes up beside Octavia, who both stare down at you, their faces growing closer, and just seeming enormous again, at least until you bolt upright and they both back off.

"The final digit of pi is...what just happened?" you said, the first thing in a rather robotic voice, before you grab your own head, which feels like you'd just tried to smash it through a brick wall. Looking upward, you can't actually see the ceiling because of how far away it is, but you figure you left a good dent in the hard wood, considering the way your head hurts.

"I don't know, but it was awesome, can you do that again?" came Vinyl's reply, smiling as she walks towards the computer, reaching forward to push a button, at least until Octavia, staring daggers at her, growls, and Vinyl chuckles nervously, backing off.

"I don't know what happened either, but that's not the important thing right now, what is important is, are you alright?" asked Octavia, after Vinyl came to stand near them, and getting up, you shake yourself off, and test out your limbs, trying to ignore the fact that three rather pretty looking, for ponies, girls were staring at your naked body.

"I think I'm okay. I have a headache, but its passing. Still, Twilight's equipment didn't do that when she hooked Pinkie Pie up to it," you said without thinking, and suddenly you had the eye of the violet pony, who turned from the data readout to look at you.

"No it didn't but then Pinkie is bigger th-wait a second, how did you know I used this stuff to study Pinkie Pie?" she asked, a bit faster on the uptake of details than the others, who look to each other, and then back at you. Luckily, before you can say anything, there's a crashing upstairs, and suddenly there's a multi colored streak coming through the open basement door, zipping around the room, before landing in front of Twilight. It was Rainbow Dash, in all her awesomeness, her body shimmering with a bit of sweat, as she'd obviously just come rushing from somewhere distant to tell Twilight something, as she kept saying Twilight's name in between gasps for breath, and when at last she does say something, it comes out as a rambling story, with too few words to make out anything other than Applejack, Poison, and Big Macintosh.

"Rainbow, slow down! Now start over, and go over it one step at a time," said Twilight after Rainbow, for the third time, tried to explain what it was that had brought her to Twilight's in such a panic, and with a sharp intake of breath, she began again.

"Okay, well I was trying to play a prank on Applejack to get back at her for that thing last week where she tied my wings behind my back with her lasso while I wasn't looking and got everyone to laugh at me. So I decided to get her back in the most awesome way, sending her some Poison Joke I'd painted red with a note telling her it was from a secret admirer, but while she was busy getting back from applebucking with Big Macintosh I kind of fell asleep on the cloud I was laying on cause it was so comfy and you know I take my naps about that time in the afternoon. When I woke up she was nowhere to be found, I mean I searched the whole farm house before going out to the orchard where Big Macintosh gave me an apple as a snack, and I flew all over there to try and find her and now I think she might have wandered off or something and I need some help to find her. You gotta have a spell or something Twilight, because if something happens to her it'll be all my fault and I don't know what I'd do!" she says quickly, all in a single breath.

"Rainbow! We've told you a thousand times to not use stuff like the Joke when doing these pranks of yours," Twilight chides her, as she begins to trot upstairs. Octavia, seeing as you won't be tested anymore right now, uses her mouth to pick you up again, and place you on her back, before trotting after the pair towards the stairs, followed by Rarity, who looks concerned, but not overly so, as she had faith in both Applejack's survival instinct, and in Twilight's magic. Just before going through the door though, Octavia stops, and looks down into the basement.

"Vinyl, you stay away from that and come up here. I think another unicorn would be helpful, and we do need to thank Ms. Sparkle for agreeing to talk to the Princess on our human friend's behalf," she said, and you look down to find Vinyl just about to touch some of the buttons on one of the consoles. She looks up at Octavia's sheepishly, before running up the stairs to join the three of you as you reenter the library proper.

"So you can use some spell to find her right?" asked Dash, as she lived up to her name, unable to stay still as she kept darting around the library, as Twilight was busy looking through the books she'd discarded in her search for the history book earlier.

"I think there's a spell around here for finding lost items. I'm sure it will find her Dash, just calm down and stop being so nervous," she said, and Rainbow tried to do that, landing, and taking nice, deep breaths. As she did, you noticed something odd, and tugged on Octavia's mane to get her to turn her head around to look at you.

"Yes?" she asked, probably wondering if there was anything she could do to help.

"Um, you might want to take a look at Rainbow Dash's belly, I think I found Applejack," you tell her, pointing towards where Dash is standing, and right towards where there's a periodic bulge in her side in the shape of two hooves. It was surprising that Dash herself hadn't noticed them, but then, she seemed a bit out of it with worry.

"Ms. Twilight, our human friend thinks you might want to use that spell from earlier on Ms. Rainbow Dash's belly. It seems that Ms. Applejack is closer to her than she thought," she told the ponies, pointing with her hoof towards Rainbow Dash's side, and another bulge popped out, causing Rarity and Twilight to groan, while Vinyl smirked.

"Heh, looks like I'm not the only heavy eater here," she said, and the unicorns, as well as the earth pony you were riding got closer, with Twilight leaning down and causing her horn to glow. It was interesting seeing the spell from the outside, as Twilight's eyes closed in concentration, and then began to pull back, obviously trying to draw Applejack out as she'd done with you before, a glow coming from her horn, and moving into Rainbow Dash, and a blinding flash of light forcing you to close your eyes.


	4. Playing the Hero

Twilight suddenly fell back, and was breathing hard, causing the others to rush to her side, which nearly sent you falling to the floor before you grabbing Octavia's mane tightly. Not that you minded, you were concerned too, having been in a situation like this not a few minutes ago, and not really liking it. Luckily, Twilight, after a few seconds of opening her eyes and then shutting them tightly while taking a deep breath, seemed fine, and rose to her feet in a wobbly fashion, and that had Rarity using her magic to keep her steady while Vinyl, showing she could be helpful, brought a couch closer for her to lay down on. It took another minute of hard breathing before Twilight could speak again, and all the while she looked over towards Dash with a concerned look in her eyes.

"I don't understand, that spell's a bit more magic intensive than most, but I haven't done that much today. I didn't even feel tired until I tried to cast it again, almost like my magic was drained from me without realizing it," she said, her eyes not leaving Dash.

"Well, can you quickly teach Vinyl or Rarity that spell?" you ask, and four sets of eyes turn to you, not one of them looking like you'd said something sensible. Dash, for her part, was trying to stay as still as possible, obviously to not bump Applejack around too much inside her belly, but even she seemed to think you'd gone crazy.

"Magic isn't something that one just does, human boy, it's...something one knows. I mean, sure, I can rock the tunes, and we saw cuz's skill with fashion a bit ago, but for most of us who aren't Ms. Sparkle here, it's a lot more effort to learn a spell," said Vinyl, which was, again, oddly helpful of her, and you revised your opinion of her quickly. She probably had looked really concerned after she'd eaten you, but unless there was real danger, she was laid back. It was something to note.

"Like when she learned that spell to make wings for Rarity by just reading it n a book," you said without thinking, and Twilight's eyes narrowed at you. This was not your best day for keeping your mouth shut, but then, you were in a cartoon universe, tiny...well, bigger than you had been, but still smaller than the resident sophents(Thinking Beings). Still, this time your slip of the tongue costs you as Twilight approaches Octavia, who does skitter away a bit under that withering gaze.

"Okay, how the hay do you know about that little incident?" she demands, but then groaning can be heard from Dash that distracts everyone again, and even from across the room you can hear a gurgle, which was not good sign.

"Figure that out later Twilight, you have to get Applejack out of me, now!" shouts Dash.

"But how? I can't teach the others the spell that quick, and I don't think I can get you to vomit without some study..." she said running back to Dash's side, and trying to think, as she quickly levitated a few books towards herself, reading a passage or two before tossing them aside. Of course, then it occurs to you that this was likely your fault, though Twilight hadn't said it. She'd only cast that spell earlier on you, and probably you being human had screwed it up, which was why she hadn't noticed it before that point. That meant you had to do something drastic, and with a look at Dash, who was now visibly sweating, you decide what it is and pull on Octavia's mane again.

"Octavia, I think I could get Applejack out," you tell her.

"How dear?" she asks, and you turn towards Rarity.

"Rarity, get me some yarn, your toughest stuff that can take a lot of punishment," you tell her, and Rarity, generous and giving, is off like a shot.

"Vinyl, use your magic to get Dash to stand perfectly still," was your next order, and Vinyl, showing she could be counted on in a crisis, quickly did so, just as Rarity returned with a ball of yarn.

"Okay, this is going to suck, but I think it will work. Hey Dash, think you could swallow something my size?" you ask as Rarity holds out the ball, and you tie the loose end around your waist. Of course, she'd figured out your plan the moment you'd asked her to get the yarn, but Octavia, her head turning as around as she can, stares at you in concern, which you found rather sweet.

"Are you sure about that? I mean, we barely got you out of Vinyl before she digested you," she told you in no uncertain terms.

"Yeah, and doing that is probably why you can't do the same for Applejack, so let's try this real quick. If it works, I get her out. If it doesn't...we hope Twilight can figure out how to make her vomit," you say, and Dash, looking concerned, and like she has no idea what to do, stares at you. She didn't even know what you were, but after a moment, she opens her mouth, and Octavia, still looking concerned, takes you in her own, and then walks forward, and kisses Dash, her tongue pressing you into Rainbow's tongue with her own, before pulling back, and you were glad you hadn't put the suit back on since it would have gotten dirty, and also glad it was dark in Dash's mouth, so no one could see you really liked what had just happened.

Suddenly, everything was plunged into darkness, and you could feel Dash's tongue try to push you back towards her throat, but then hesitate and leave you in the lurch, pushing you forward again. She was having a hard time swallowing something of your size, despite having done the same to Applejack a few minutes beforehand. Like trying to swallow a pill, after knowing it's there. If you'd been thinking straight you might have asked her to get a drink or something to wash you down with, but your mental state, especially given your current surroundings, wasn't the best, and so, in lieu of that, you merely jump towards her throat, getting the front half of your body jammed between the back of her tongue and the roof of her mouth, and making her choke, before she tilted her head back, and the tight walls passed you downward.

And unlike with Vinyl, they were tight. The walls, seeing you as the whole load, rather than a tiny crumb on a donut, squeezed against you, and for a moment or two you wonder if her body might squeeze you to death, as it feels like being in a vice. However, after the rough direction change, indicating you had passed out of her neck, and into her body, you felt the grip tighten for a moment, threatening to break you in two, before you were tossed out and landing with a shout in a pool of muck, the remains of the apple that Dash had said she'd eaten given the smell, and with a quick shake, you looked around, finding once again, there was just enough light to see by in a pony's stomach, and in one corner, curled up and eyes closed, was Applejack.

"Come on Rainbow, notice I'm in here already and get me out," she says, trying to stay out of the stomach juices. Obviously, she hadn't heard what was going on outside, which wasn't hard to conceive, considering Dash's belly was gurgling loudly, and probably had been for a while.

"Applejack!" you shout, swimming towards her. Luckily, despite last time looking like this stuff could melt you into paste, the stomach juices in Dash's belly seemed to tingle only, though that was probably not going to keep up forever, all things considered.

"What the...who in the hay are you?" she said as you swam up next to her and climbed onto the bit of stomach fold she was clinging to, to stay out of the muck.

"Explanations later, out of stomach now," you tell her, gasping for breath. You really should have visited the pool more often you chide yourself as you quickly tie the yarn around your waist around her, and then mount her like you would a horse.

"Pray to Celestia that this thing holds, Applejack," you tell her as you tug on the yarn, and feel it pulling you,, causing AJ to cry out as she's dragged into the muck, and then towards the stomach entrance.

The ride through the muck is awful. Swimming in it was bad enough, but you'd been able to at least try and keep your head above it, but as you and AJ are dragged towards the exit, the stuff pulls you under, and the two of you hold your breath. Your lungs feeling like they are on fire, while your skin tells you it might feel that way if this keeps up for too long, though luckily, you don't, as a few seconds after you find yourself underneath the muck and mire, you are dragged against some soft, folded skin, the stuff rubbing against you and making your own skin crawl. It was actually pleasant really, if you ignored the fact that tingle in your skin grows into sharp pin prick everywhere the wall touches you, before you two finally hit the surface, and each take a deep gulp of air, as you are pulled towards the exit.

Of course, Rainbow Dash's stomach is just a intent on winning as the pony herself, and doesn't like it when meals try to escape, so the two of you are slammed into the hard valve of flesh that leads from the stomach to the throat, and then dropped back, as everything shakes hard, making you grab onto Applejack, even while she tries to get her feet to a standing position on the soft skin of the stomach lining. After a moment, the violent quaking tops, and you feel yourself pulled again towards the exit, this time the yarn glowing a bit with Rarity's magic colors, her telekinesis being added to the tugging as the two of you are forced against the tightly closed flesh again. This time though, the tugging doesn't let up, even as you feel like you're going to be cut in two by the yarn at your waist, and with a pop, you enter a tight tunnel.

Going down the throat had been bad, it had felt like being in a vice. Going up it, against the current that had at least been working with you, well that felt worse. It felt like being in one of those car compactors, with the walls and ceiling both coming in at once, crushing you from two sides. The walls, seemingly soft to the touch are pushing against you, hard muscles behind them trying to force you back down, while above the flesh closes almost as tightly as the stuff that had been blocking you from escaping the stomach, making you grind your teeth against the pain. You would cry out, as every inch you move seems like hours of work, but the crushing force of Rainbow's throat doesn't let you draw a breath as you are steadily pulled upward.

For a moment, just a moment, you think you're going to die. Oh, you'd thought that plenty of times since appearing in Ponyville, after all, things your size don't usually last long in your world, but then, that had all been sudden, climactic changes to status quo, nearly getting step on, then flying, then flying again, and getting eaten, which you did willingly this time, you tried to remind yourself. However, all those others had been sudden changes, with no time to consider them, but as you are dragged upward, with the weight of the world, or at least the weight a pegasus' swallow produces, pounding on you, you can consider it, and you realize you don't want to die. It was scary to die, and you force yourself to stay awake against the pressure and the lack of oxygen, even as you feel Applejack pass out beneath you.

Had she stayed awake just one moment longer, she would have felt the pressure suddenly multiply exponentially, before vanishing altogether as the two of you fly weightless into the air, sailing for a moment, before you can feel the power of magic surround you again, this time in Vinyl's colors, as she lowers the pair of you gently down to the floor, letting you slip off Applejack's back as you come in contact with the wood, and rise wobbly to your feet, next to the passed out pony. Looking upward, you see four concerned faces filling your sky, Octavia, Twilight, Fluttershy, and Rarity, with Vinyl in the background assisting Rainbow, who is on the floor, coughing, but getting nothing up, which made you smirk for some reason, before leaning down to check on Applejack.

"She's breathing! And now, I'm gonna take a nap!" you shout out, holding your hands in fist triumphantly over your head, before you feel everything tilt to the side, and you distantly hear the dull thunk of a tiny body slam into hard wood. The last thing you hear before blackness takes you is the pounding of hooves, and several concerned voices as the ponies rush around you, and yet, you drift off to dreams with a smirk still on your face.

Dreams come and go, it is said. Fleeting images, born of the mind and spirit, windows to the deepest fears and desires we have. You haven't had one in years. Your slumber is just darkness, until you waken. So it is today, you are swimming in the void, content, if not peaceful, when the world begins to intrude. a few voices, none of them ones you know, just background noise to the void, which tries to keep you in its grasp, one of protection. Here you are safe, no light to guide you down a dangerous road, just a shadow to guard you as you lay at rest. It's tempting, ever so tempting, to stay in the void, as you feel the pain of the world return, the ache and soreness of a mortal body. Still, temptations can be resisted, and you slowly open your eyes, a groan coming out of your lips.

"I think he's waking up," a voice says, and you find yourself staring up at huge faces. The void still has that part of you that comprehends things, and so you stare at them, in slack jawed wonder. They are faces of beings that cannot be real. The real world was a wash of colors and designs, of various shades and hues, but all the faces you see, which number in the twelve, are things of simplistic colorings, single hues, mostly lighter tones. These are things of fantasy, yet your sore body tells you, you are awake, and though such things can be fooled, you refuse to contemplate them. If this is what you see and hear, you act like it's real. The only other option is to accept madness, and you would rather revel in it than let it have you.

"Are ya'll alright, little 'un?" comes a voice, not the same one from before, but one with an accent you recognize as southern. Looking towards the faces, it is from the orange face in the middle, Applejack. Standing around her are the other five that wield the greatest weapon of their world, the Elements of Harmony, the ones who dispelled the darkness that had taken Luna and twisted her into Nightmare Moon. They were also the ones who had vanquished Discord, sentencing the seemingly jovial entity to stone, for they had felt the touch of chaos, and knew that beneath that exterior laid a core of evil worse than even the Mare of Darkness, an evil that would have corrupted Order, and turned all to madness, simply for a joke.

"I'm functioning within optimal parameters," you say, and then smirk. Data from Star Trek had said that once, you were sure, when he woke up. It amused you, even when you got odd looks from the ponies staring down at you. Behind the Mane 6 were the faces of Octavia and Vinyl, the latter actually looking quite concerned, considering who she was, while the later looked relieved more than anything else, probably at least understanding what you had said. Beside them stood three younger ponies, without the marks on their flanks that came with age, sisters to two of the Mane 6, and a worshiper of another, the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Behind them stood a rather commanding presence, a huge pony, but not one of the Princesses. Instead it was Big Macintosh, looking like a big red mountain to you.

"Uh, anypony wanna translate that for me?" asked Applejack, looking towards Twilight, who shook her head in dismay at her friend's lack of understanding.

"I said I'm fine, Applejack," you tell her, rising, and then falling back down with a grimace, and because the surface beneath you caved in a little as you tried to stand. As one might expect, you were no longer on the hard floor, but instead, on a nice soft, if somewhat fragrant, bed, with clean white sheets covering you, though, as noted previously, nothing else, your body once again nude. You didn't care now though, since any covering would have only made you sorer than you already were.

"I don't think ya'll are fine t'all. Still, I hope Twilight and the Doc's magic at least helped a bit. I know I was plum sore after that little hayride," she said, smirking down at you, and Rainbow's face went a bit down at being reminded of why you were sore.

"I'm alive, and in another dimension. Those two facts should be completely incongruous, so considering they're happening at the same time, that's something," you say, a bit more steadily than you felt and the ponies watching you visibly relax. Obviously, you'd been asleep for a while, probably because Applejack was a pony, and something they knew how to heal, but you were something altogether different, meaning they had probably thought you might die.

"Oh man, I am so sorry, I really am," said Rainbow Dash suddenly, as her head got closer, causing you to involuntarily flinch and try to retreat, right into a giant pillow.

"Dash, you really must stop crowding the poor dear. We all know you're sorry, and I'm sure, given time, he'll forgive you. You will, won't you?" asked Rarity, as her horn glowed a bit, and she dragged Dash back from the bed.

"Heh, I got to play the hero for once in my life thanks to her. I'm sure that deserves a bit of forgiveness in payment," you tell her, trying to rise again, and this time, able to do so, though you keep the sheet covering your body, mostly out of some sense of modesty, as you look up towards the ponies surrounding you. This was, truth be told, the third strangest way you'd ever woken up, and yet, despite not really knowing anyone, it was still more pleasant than most mornings with your family, so you smirk a bit as you look around, Rarity quickly realizing what you're looking for and lifting you with her magic while bringing an outfit towards you, dressing you in a replica of the clothing you'd been wearing when you arrived in Equestria.


	5. Twilight and Transmissions

"Wow, this is...wow," you say, looking down at yourself. The suit had been comfortable, but then, it was magic that had made it. This was what you were accustomed to though. Street clothing, not fancy, not high quality, just stuff to wear around town. Of course, given the ponies were nudists...of a sort anyhow, they probably saw little need of clothing. However, the biggest surprise is that she'd been able to make this. After all, she'd only briefly glimpsed your outfit before, and the real thing was probably not only still the size of a bug, but probably passing through Vinyl's intestine right now and in no shape to be studied. Tugging at the sleeves, finding the material, whatever it was, breathed a bit easier than your normal clothing, you give a bow to the fashionista.

"You have my thanks, Ms. Rarity, for the new garb," you tell her, wiggling your toes inside the tennis shoes a bit, enjoying the freedom that came from normal shoes.

"Oh, it was the least I could do for someone so willing to risk themselves for someone they hardly know," she told you, blushing a bit, which made you smirk again.

"Yeah, that was cool little dude. I mean, you didn't even hesitate, you were all like 'Hero time!' and you saved the damsel in distress from the evil, ugly dragon!" said Vinyl, her head turning to Dash, who's not looking at her in a friendly way. "Er, beautiful, lovely, and very personable dragon who in no way would hit a pony wearing glasses."

"Vinyl, I just can't take you anywhere," says Octavia quietly while putting her hoof to her face.

"Why are we here for all this mushy stuff again?" suddenly chimes in Scootaloo, her front legs folded in front of her in a sign of boredom.

"Because Big Macintosh said I should thank someone who probably saved my sister's life," came the quick reply from Applebloom, at least before a snort made her turn to Big Macintosh, who was eying her in a way that one might call withering, but you find quite a bit worse, considering how much bigger than you he was, and were glad it wasn't directed at you.

"Besides, shouldn't you be excited to meet someone who's seen Rainbow Dash inside and out?" offers Sweetiebell. The statement does make Scootaloo look at you, but then she just waves her hoof in a dismissive gesture.

"Well, anyway, I really do want to thank you Mister. If it wasn't for you, my sis mighta never come back home to do more applebucking," said Applebloom, and Big Macintosh came closer to, to stand right behind her.

"Eeyep," he said simply, lowering his head in a gesture of thanks, before starting towards the door, the Crusaders, after looking at one another, follow suit, dashing out the door.

"Alright, now that that's over, I suppose it's time to discuss where you'll stay tonight. The Princess' reply said she and her sister would be visiting Ponyville tomorrow to meet you. That means I've got a lot of cleaning to do around here, so you can't stay in the library, otherwise you'd be underhoof the whole time," said Twilight, looking around the group.

"Normally I would offer a spare room at the Boutique, but I don't think I'd trust Opalescence around someone of your...limited stature," offers Rarity, taking a second to think of the right words so as not to seem improper about your miniscule size.

"Well, I'd love to offer him a place at Sweet Apple Acres, but Big Macintosh showed he's not one to watch where he sets his hoof today, and then there's the animals. Not sure I'd trust them anymore than Rarity would trust her cat," Said Applejack, and you had to agree with her, about Big Macintosh especially. You were now really glad you hadn't run into him at your original size, as he was already intimidating enough.

"And I don't think humans can walk on clouds...can they?" asks Dash, and you quickly shake your head.

"Oh! I know, he can stay at Sugar Cube Corner, and I can show him all my favorite party games and we can play with Gummy, and-" began Pinkie Pie entusiasitcally.

"And you can lose him in the night and we'll never find him, or you'll forget he's there and turn him into a cupcake or something," said Rainbow Dash, putting her hoof against Pinkie Pie's muzzle, though you could still hear Pinkie talking behind it.

"Okay, that leaves Fluttershy's I guess," said Twilight after a moment, and Fluttershy smiled sweetly, only for Vinyl to suddenly step between the six ponies.

"Hey! What about us? I mean, we did find him after all. I'm sure he'd be safe with us...well, if I make sure to watch what I eat anyway," admits the Pop Pony after a moment.

"Well, I don't think I'd mind someone else sleeping over for a night, and I'm sure Angel and my other animal friends would just love the company, but I don't want to stop him if he wants to stay with you," says the Element of Kindness in a sweet voice, and then you suddenly have eight sets of eyes staring at you, silently asking you what you want to do, which you have to consider for a moment, before nodding when you reached a decision.

"Uh, I think I could stand a night with Vinyl and Octavia. Not sure I'd safe among animals of any sort at my size," you tell them after a moment of consideration, and Fluttershy smiles sweetly at you.

"They're all well behaved, but if that's what you want, I will just wish you a good night," she says.

"Okay, with that that decided, how's about we all mosey along home. The Princess is set to raise the moon in a few minutes, and I think we all have to start getting ready for bed," said Applejack, and everyone nods. You then suddenly find yourself surrounded by a magical field again, this one coming from Vinyl, who sets you down on Octavia's back again.

"Sweet," was all she said, as the girls start for the door to the bedroom. Looking around at this place, figuring it would be where you come tomorrow to meet the gods of this world, you study the books, finding that, like on the show, there's not a single title you can read on the spines. You wonder, idly, how Twilight and Spike can tell them apart, and speaking of the dragon, he comes in as the others leave, and looks at you funny, and then proceeds to help clean with Twilight, a moment later an owl flying in and doing the same, probably Twilight's night time assistant. Before you can question this, you are taken outside by Octavia, and are once again looking around Ponyville, no longer the middle of the day, but nearly nightfall, as the sun is low in the sky.

"Long hot day, cold sacred night, and I think to myself, what a wonderful world," you sing, more to yourself than anyone else, but you do get both musical ponies to look at you, though neither stops walking, and so, smirking, you begin to sing the rest of the song, thinking that, really, the place you've found yourself in really is a Wonderful World. The two you will be rooming with say nothing, and Vinyl even starts humming along to the end, as the three of you finally reenter the home they're borrowing from Rarity, and shut the door.

"That was a very sweet song. Did you write it?" asks Octavia, as she returns to the living room, and you are then placed on the table by her using her mouth again, an experience you still aren't quite used to, though this time at least she didn't drool on you.

"Not a chance. I forget the guy who wrote it, but in my world, it's considered a classic song. One of the few I know really. Most of the others I memorized are either from TV shows or parodies of the real stuff," you say, and Octavia looks at you oddly, and so does Vinyl, though it's hard to tell through her glasses.

"TeeVee? What's that?" asks Vinyl after a moment of hesitation, and just as you're about to respond, you realize suddenly that TV might not be the best thing to introduce to an agrarian society. Even if you don't remember how it's done, just the thought that it can be done is enough to start the ball of invention rolling. Like labs that developed high tensile strength materials simply by being given a sample from another lab. Heck, nukes were the same way.

"It's a thing back home, and way too complicated. But it plays music at a distance, among other things," you tell them, and Vinyl nodes.

"Like radio! I bet you didn't know this, but Octavia and I used to have our own show," says Vinyl, seemingly bragging about it, while Octavia facehoofs.

"Yes, until you burned down the studio trying to hook up an amplifier for your 'tunes'" she reminds the pop pony, who barely seems to notice, as she suddenly looks really excited.

"That reminds me! I got my package in today, and though I was gonna save it for a special occasion, I can't think of anything more special than this!" responds Vinyl, and quickly runs off, leaving you and Octavia in the room alone, with the grey classic lover looking worriedly after her. For good reason too, as you can hear crashing, swearing, and a few other things, before she suddenly returns with something, and then nearly crushes you with it, forcing you to leap out of the way as she sets it down on the table.

"Vinyl, you didn't?" Octavia moans, looking at the device, and you stare at it in interest. From your perspective, all you see is a grey box thing, but hopping up and climbing on, you find it's a transmitter, with a mic attached. Probably short range, but remembering this is a magical universe, it might not be.

"I didn't do anything, Octavia. I simply asked somepony going over the wreckag-I mean while they were remodeling our studio, to send this over. It's not as powerful as K-Colt's usual level, but I'm sure this thing will get to all of Ponyville, and I can probably juice it to get all the way to Canterlot if we need to," she said, and her horn glowed a bit, sending a spark into the device, causing some of the dials to light up, and a low his of feedback to issue forth from the device.

"Vinyl, I mean this, seriously, do you really want to burn this new house, that we got for free from your cousin, to a smoking cinder, and render us homeless until such time as we can show our faces in Canterlot again?" asked Octavia, and Vinyl only .smirked in response.

"Please, back me up. Tell her not to do this?" she asks you, but at the same time, you aren't sure. A radio show, in Equestria, and you get to be on it, for just being you...well for being the only human in a world of equines, but still. That could be a lot of fun, or it could lead you to chocking on live radio and embarrassing yourself. One Risk vs. Reward assessment later, you look towards Vinyl.

"I always wanted to be a radio personality myself," you say with a smirk, and Vinyl smirks right back, while Octavia, facehoofing, just sighs, as Vinyl continues to setup the transmitter, pushing buttons, and setting a few dials, before the hiss suddenly cuts out with a sharp crack, and a small light on the side that says 'on-air' glows in the corner, making Vinyl just chuckle.

"Okay, all you fillies, foals, and others out there in Ponyville, this is DJ-Pon3, back from her short hiatus after that little problem with the studio, and here with me as always is my lovely co-host, Octy," she said, leaning closer to the mic.

"'Little problem?!' You burned down the studio trying to, as you put it, 'kick up the jams'," said Octavia with another sigh, "And I told you to stop calling me lovely."

"Heh, well, that's one interpretation of those events. I'd rather see it as the equipment failing to live up to the expectations to which I'd been set," response Vinyl, grinning at Octavia across the table.

"Anyway, because of that set back, his shows gonna be a bit more...limited than the others. However, don't worry about that now, because we still bring you the highest quality guests, in this case one from waaaaay farther away than any other. In fact, you could say, our guest tonight is out of this world. Would you like to say a few words to our audience?" she said, and the mic shifts towards where you're standing on the transmitter. Suddenly, for some reason, you get an impulse, and rather than think on it, you just go with it.

"Yo yo yo, this is Howlin Mad Man Murphy, comin at you live and lucid, over the air waves and into your homes. Tonight we have a really big show for you. Or at least for me anyway considering a ponies like twenty five or fifty times my own size," you say into the mic, which gets Vinyl to laugh, while Octavia looks at you like you betrayed her.

"You heard that right fillies, our guest today is a bit on the small size, but then, he's a bit different than anypony else we've met. He says he's called a human, and he's coming to us all the way from another world. I know some of you have your doubts, but I assure you, he's for reals, and according to Octavia here, he tastes great, yummy," goes on the pop pony, the last getting Octavia to blush, and you to smirk, remembering that comment from earlier.

"Vinyl!" was all she said in response, and looking over, you find Vinyl falling onto her back laughing.

"The management would like it known that Vinyl's opinions in no way reflect the opinions of this station...excepting those parts of this station that are Vinyl Scratch. By the way, while Octavia may have said that, Vinyl is the one who actually ate me earlier," you say into the mic, which gets Octavia to smile down at you, as Vinyl bolts upright, probably not wanting to remember that, or to have Twilight or the others remember it either.

"Er...well, that was an accident. And it wasn't his last time diving down a throat either today, folks. No, our little guest is a hero, because after a certain be-hatted pony found herself swallowed by a spectrum colored one she considered her friend during a prank that shrank her, this little guy heroically decided to go in after her, at great personal risk, and drag her out of that stomach. It was a bit more violent than how he got out of my own belly, but dang if it wasn't rather touching," Vinyl said to the air waves, likely having forgotten Rainbow Dash and Applejack's names, considering her own bubble headed-ness.

"Indeed, it was actually quite dashing to watch, all things considered, especially considering we might not have been able to get him out either, and I'm sure that all of Sweet Apple Acres was grateful, though they also forgive the Weather Warden of Ponyville for what was supposed to be a harmless prank," says Octavia, turning the mic towards herself, and showing that she at least, was paying attention to the others back at Twilight's, or at least knew something about them from before that.

"Yeah, that. Anyway, with that introduction and story out of the way, I'd say it's time for some tunes...which I just realized I don't have, since all my LPs are still being brought from Canterlot, so why don't we ask Octavia to play the cello for us as some filler, while I look for something to play?" she asks, looked towards Octavia expectantly, who just shakes her head and goes off, probably to find said instrument. That's when you think of a song to sing yourself, one that doesn't really need an instrument, but then, it might be a bit dark for the ponies' world. Still, maybe they'd like hearing a comedy song by Jonathan Coulton, and Spike at least knew what zombies were.

"Hey, Vinyl, mind if I sing a little ditty from my own home to fill the time?" you ask, figuring this is the type of thing one should ask.

"Really? Like that song from before?" she asks, referring to Wonderful World, which, while a good song, was a bit fluffy for a talk show like this one.

"Nah, a bit more amusing, though in a gallows kind of way. Ever heard of zombies?" you say with a smirk.

"Oh! Those cool undead things, yeah. What about em'?" she asks.

"Listen to this," was all you said, as you began to hum the background music, clapping in time to what you remember from the web versions of the song you'd heard. After a moment, you begin singing, and Vinyl starts to bob her head in time to the beat you're laying down. She then gets a real big grin on her face as you reach the line about dying screaming from the song, that seems to amuse her. As the song continues, you notice that Octavia has returned, with her cello in tow, and is just staring at the two of you, agast at the song, though you just wink at her as you keep going, skipping the guitar solo, since you can't simulate that, and just moving on to the end, enjoying your moment in the lime light.

"We'll all come inside and eat your braaaaaaains! And that fillies and colts is a song of my people, Re: Your Brains, by a Mr. Coutlon. Good man," you said, and take a bow towards Vinyl, who leans forward towards the mic.

"Now that was a treat, little dude carries a tune well too. Anyway, I see Octavia's back with her cello, so why not sit back, and relax with some classical music after that little heartwarming tale about a zombie who just wants a meal," she says, turning the mic towards Octavia, who simply hmphs at the two of you, and pulls out her bow, before starting to play a rather moving piece, while Vinyl picks you up with her magic and brings you towards her.

"Awesome song, but what's a mall, and what's a gun?" she asks in a hushed tone, which reminds you again, this isn't your world, which, rather than depresses you, only makes you smile at her and stare into her glasses.

"A mall is a place of worship for those who respect only the power of money, and a gun is something this place isn't ready for, like soda, and the internet, and do not ask. Still, I feel kind of bad about doing that to Octavia, you wouldn't happen to have a flute in my size around here, would you?" you ask, looking around. Vinyl, looking with you, finds a few toys on the mantle of the room you're in, and spots a tiny flute, carved from wood, and brings it to you. Taking a moment to check it over, you find it's a bit heavier than the ones back home, but it works pretty well, and a few blows finds it does make some nice tones, so you nod, and then motion towards the transmitter again, getting Vinyl to put you back closer.

Looking towards Octavia, who has her eyes closed, you start to nod your head to the sounds of the piece she's playing. It's not one you recognize off the top of your head, but you'd say it's similar to some stuff you used to play, so picking a place to start, you try to play along with her. Her eyes shoot open as you do so, though her hoof doesn't even falter as she plays. She does start to step up on the tempo as you join in, and though you never hit a wrong note exactly, you are out of time with her for a few lines, before catching back up, playing in concert with her's to create a rather melodious sound, before she reaches her crescendo, and then pulls her box sharply across her strings to bring it to an end, while you play one last note.

"Bravo! Encore!" comes Vinyl from behind you, and smirking up at Octavia, you turn on your heel, and give a bow to your audience, which out of the corner of your eye, you can see Octavia doing the same, before setting her instrument against one of the corners of the room carefully, and then walking back towards the two of you. Rather than sitting though, she stands next to the table.

"Actually, Vinyl, I think it's time we did our curtain call, since we'll have a few more guests tomorrow, and I'd rather they not see us tired, and out of sorts," says Octavia, obviously trying not to name names, since it's likely this visit by the Princesses will be a bit less formal than most, kind of like when Celestia dropped in after Twilight's break down over not having a friendship lesson.

"Oh, right, them. Well, I suppose we should wrap this up a bit early tonight. Still, I hope you foals and fillies get some rest, because tomorrow in Ponyville promises to be fun," says Vinyl into the mic, "This is K-Colt, signing off for the night."

With that, the transmitter is clicked off, and the instant it is, Vinyl yawns, her mouth opening wide, and you can't stop yourself from yawning as well, stretching your arms out, and then popping a few bones in your spine, which you can tell the ponies both heard with the look they give you.

"So, where do you want to sleep tonight anyway? I think we could squeeze you onto the bed with Octy and me, but it might be a bit cramped," says Vinyl as she gets up from the couch she'd been laying on.

"And then there's Vinyl's snoring. You might just want to sleep out here for the night, if you want to get any sleep at all," says Octavia, and she and Vinyl look like they're about to have another argument.


	6. First Night

"If it's all the same to you ladies, I think it will be safer for me to sleep away from others," you tell them, and both of them look at each other, and then back to you, before nodding.

"Not a bad suggestion. Octy does kick in her sleep sometimes, and that could send you flying!" said Vinyl with a smirk, mimicking a kicking motion with her back hoof, at least until Octavia puts her under a withering stare, before turning back to you and smiling sweetly.

"Well then, I suppose it is to bed with us. Hopefully, the Princesses arrive later in the morning, so we can freshen up before they get here. For now though, good night," she said, and leaned down, picking you up again and placing you on the couch she'd been laying on. Just before she pulls away, her lips purse together, and she plants a soft kiss on the top of your head, smiling down at you.. Vinyl giggles at her for it, and even in the quickly darkening living room, as the last of the sun sets out the window, and everything is case into darkness, you can see Octavia blush a bit, before running for the bedroom in the back of the house.

"Night little guy. Sleep tight, don't let the square bugs bite," she tells you, trotting off after Octavia. Looking after them, you see the door shut, with a gentle click, but then hear some raised voices, making you wonder how the pair slept together...and then banish that thought, wondering what the guys on the net would think about such a pairing, as you begin to strip off your clothing, setting the shoes to the side, and getting down until you're wearing nothing again, before walking towards the pillow at the end and laying in it, finding a small frilly edge to be good enough for a small blanket, and starting to drift off to sleep.

You don't dream, as you'd thought before, and are drifting again in the void. Nothingness about you, or within, and so, when something intrudes on the void, you bolt upright, always able to go from sleep to waking within moments, though taking longer to go to sleep usually than you had tonight. Probably the lack of a TV, the light of which you usually slept to. Still, insomnia aside, something had woken you up, and looking around, you realize it was a noise, something rattling in the distance. Taking a peek over the chair of the couch, you quickly come to the conclusion that it is the door, and hide under the pillow, not sure what to think, as the rattling increases, and then a click is heard as the door opens.

"-ill not sure we should be doing this Doctor. I mean, this is somepony's house, and we're breaking in. This can't be legal," says a voice you don't recognize, though it's obviously female.

"Oh Derpy, I told you, we're not going to take anything, we just need to have a look around. Besides, you said that you, Sparkler, and Dinky heard that radio pony say human, right?" says a male voice in response, one you recognize...though it wasn't possible. Really, it wasn't. He wasn't on the show, and he certainly...curiosity piqued, you can't resist looking over the chair, briefly, to see two shadow figures in the door way, which one is gently closing behind them. One is an earth pony, with a brown, you think, coat, while the other is a gray/blue pegasus, neither of which is looking toward you, as they converse in whispers between themselves.

"Well, yeah, I know what I heard, but I don't see why we have to meet him. Didn't you say humans were violent, destructive, and not to be trusted?" says the pegasus girl, as she starts to look around.

"Oh, that's just the bad ones, there's ones like that in any species...except ponies, though I haven't met every pony, so there might be some like that too. But regardless. A human, here, in Equestria, don't you think that's just brilliant?" says the male, and the last word just...it's David Tennant...well, considering the coloring, it was Doctor Whooves, but that wasn't possible. You'd heard him speak in one episode, and he'd sounded nothing like the Doctor, well, maybe the fifth Doctor, but certainly not the Tenth, which was who he sounded exactly like now.

"I don't know...but does this mean you're thinking of leaving again?" she asks, sounding quite sad, and you watch as the Doctor suddenly stops, and turns back to her, putting his hoof below her muzzle, and bringing her face up to stare directly into his own eyes.

"Oh, Derpy, no, no, a thousand times no. I just...I just have to know. Is he a human? How did he get here? And what was with that morbid song he was singing?" he said, his face coming to nuzzle hers, in what would have been a rather tender moment, if you yourself weren't a cynic who believed love was dead, and thought that was a good thing. Still, he starts to look around, and still looking concerned at him every once in a while, Derpy Hooves follows suit. As he comes close to the couch, having not spotted you yet, you get an idea. A horrible, nasty idea. An awful, terrible just retched idea, but you can't help but smile at it. Still, it's a great prank, and you can't help but want to do it.

"EX-TER-MEN-ATE!" you shout, popping up onto the arm of the couch you'd been sleeping on, and smiling.

"Oh dear Gallifry no!" shouts the Doctor, hopping back from you, as you fall back onto the couch laughing. You just couldn't help yourself. So many hours watching the show at home had left you with that being the one phrase you remembered over the years. Derpy instantly spins around to find you on the couch, and as you laugh yourself silly, looks mad at you. You quickly pull yourself together, as Derpy Hooves mad looks quite horrifying, though having to pause to wipe a tear from your eye.

"I apologize Doctor, but I have always wanted to pull that on someone who would actually appreciate it," you tell him, standing up, and then walking over to the pile of clothing, slipping on the underwear and pants at least, letting your slight laughing fits die completely, before turning to face him. He seems to have composed himself as well, his mane no longer sticking straight out, though a bit frazzled at the ends, and his eyes no longer wide and darting around.

"I accept your apology, but please don't do that again. I don't think my hearts can take it," he says, holding a hoof to his chest, before suddenly eying you.

"So, you've met the Daleks then. Was it them who brought you here?" he asks, settling into business. Idly, you wonder why his shouting hadn't awakened Vinyl and Octavia, but a quick listen tells you that Vinyl's snoring was still louder than the Doctor, and it was likely Octavia slept with ear plugs against it.

"Actually, I have no idea what brought me here. One minutes, I was asleep in my bed, not really caring about anything. Next 'poof' I'm in Ponyville, land of magic, whimsy, and friendship. And also the size of a bug, which, luckily, I grew out of thanks to Ms. Sparkle, though not all the way, as you can see," you tell, him, gesturing to yourself to indicate your limited stature.

"Yes, I was going to question that," said the Doctor, and Derpy flutters over to stand next to him, as they stare down at you from just beside the couch.

"So humans aren't normally this small then?" she asks.

"Oh...probably not. I mean, who's to say really, but most of the people on my world assume a standing pony on all fours is about three feet tall, meaning you'd be looking up at me if I was my usual height," you tell her, trying to stand up taller, only to find the couch cushion deforming a bit too much, and sending you sprawling onto your back.

"People on your world? So there is regular transport between Earth and this world then?" asks the Doctor, a hopeful note in his voice.

"Not really, just a TV show that's big on the net, and since I tend to live through my computer, I got caught up in it. It's called My Little Ponies: Friendship is Magic. I've been debating as to whether I'm nuts and just hallucinating this whole thing, or if I really have been transported to another world. Still not sure, but with you here, I'm placing another vote to the second category for now," you explain to him. The fourth wall be darned, this is the Doctor, he's made a habit of acting like a loon, and just trotting about the universe having fun.

"Oh? I never heard of it on my visits, but from the accent, I assume it's an American thing, right?" he asks.

"It is, but then, Doctor Who is a British TV show too. So I know about you too...up to about halfway through the season after the End of Time. Didn't care for Doctor number eleven myself. Seems nice, but a bit too...absent minded," you tell him simply.

"Wait? I'm a TV show on your world?!" he says rather indignantly. Then again, this wasn't the first time that had happened, and was never fun for him, since the versions humans made of his adventures tended to be skewed towards a certain point of view.

"Yep. Pony's, Doctor's, all I need is to find Cybertron, and I've got a whole pop culture bingo card full. By the way, you haven't run into any giant fighting robots that change into cars, trucks, and various others things, have you?" you ask, and the pair shake their heads, "Pity, I really wanted to ask Optimus Prime a question."

"So, let me get this straight, you're human," you nod, "From an Earth wherein this world, and my own life, are merely programes on the telly," another nod, "And yet you're just sitting there, barely freaking out about this. You're remarkably calm for a human."

"No, I'm just jaded. Like I said, the possibility exists that I've just lost my last tenuous grip on reality, and none of this is happening. That I'm actually sitting in a padded cell, staring at a blank wall, while spit dribbles down my chin," you explain.

"And you choose to ignore it?" he asks.

"Nope, I figure, if I am insane, why suffer from it? I'd rather enjoy every minute of it. Oh, that reminds me, since you're alone, I assume you dropped Martha off back on Earth after having defeated the Master with the Tinker Bell Jesus shtick you pull, right?" you asked him in response.

"Tinker Bell...oh! That's actually kind of clever. Silly, but clever. And yes, why?" he says, keeping the question for question going.

"Well, just curious. And you did the bit with the Doctor Donna, right?" you say, the round continuing.

"You mean with the Daleks? Yes, that was literally seconds before I came here, trying to...what happens next?" his musing ending as he looks at you seriously for a moment.

"Master comes back, but that's because you're there...sort of, and Evil Time Lord Evil Guy tries to use him to break The Moment you trapped your people in to win the Time War. It doesn't end well for him, or the Master for that matter. Still, you won, saved the universe, and got to tie up everything in your life, before regenerating due to events," you tell him, trying to hide emotion. You'd actually quite liked that Finale, which was why you didn't particularly care for the new Doctor.

"So...when I return, I really will end up..." he trails off, but then leans over to Ditzy and curls a foreleg around her, hugging her tightly.

"Possibly. But really, who's to say. This could all be my diseased mind. Or it could be that none of that will happen to this version of you. Maybe you're not the one from the show back home. Maybe this is a completely alternate timeline, and you're a branch from the same tree that is, the Doctor," you tell him, trying to sound hopeful, after all, he is a good man, you know that much, but you yourself are feeling a bit down. The Doctor, a Time Lord, couldn't escape this place. Does that mean you're stuck here forever? I mean, you've had those thoughts before, but this time, you know someone who should be able to leave can't, and he at least knew how he came here, you don't have a clue, and that means you could be trapped here, and this size, forever.

"There is that. Still, it's a bit depressing to learn I still can't make it home," he said sadly.

"Home is where you lay your hat at night, and the bed you share with someone you love. It is not a place, a time, or a thing. Home is a feeling you get deep in your heart, a warmth that goes from the tips of your toes, to the end of your nose. It's something that you can always find, if you know how to look for it," you tell him, not sure if it was a quote you remembered, or if you were making it up. Either way though, it sounds right, and he and Derpy nods at the thought.

"Thanks, I needed that. Though I suppose I should leave now. I do hope we can speak again later, but sunrise is in a few hours, and I've heard tell from the party loving pony that the Princesses are scheduled to make an appearance, and I want to get the TARDIS farther away from Ponyville, just to be safe. If you're here when I get back, I would like to talk more," he tells you, before starting for the door. Ditzy, looking after him, turns toward you, and whispers at you.

"Thanks from me too. He's been a bit down since that last time he tried to get back to Earth, but he seems, 'chipper' again now," he tells you, and you get another pony kiss, this one a bit wetter than before, and then she flutters after him, the door gently shutting behind the pair.

"I really need to start carrying around a towel," you say to yourself, as you rub your head on the pillow to dry it off, and then start to undress again, before returning to try and sleep, the Void taking you after a few moments.

The Void is disturbed again what feels like only moments later in its timelessness, and your eyes pop open to see the two musical ponies moving around the house, Octavia moving a brush through her hair with one of her hooves while hobbling along on three legs, while Vinyl is busy brushing her teeth, the loud scratching sound of the bristles over her molars actually quite grating. Of course this only serves to remind you of your nudity, but then, that's getting to be such a regular thing you wonder if you should just go out in your birthday suit. At least until you feel a cold breeze, and decide that Equestria isn't a place a human should ever try that particular lifestyle. So thinking you go to the pile of clothing, and quickly toss it all on, straightening it out and trying to make yourself look presentable, however difficult that is.

"Good morning, good morning, you've slept the whole night through. Good morning, good morning, to you!" you sing loudly as you get the last bits on, and the two turn to you, look at each other, and then proceed about their tasks. Obviously, they were in no mood to joke around, or to sing. Either they weren't morning people, or they were nervous about the visit of their goddesses. Both are actually likely, as Vinyl described their going to bed just after it got dark as 'early' last night, even though the sun had gone down, so they might have schedules analogous to those of musicians on your own world. So thinking, you let the pair continue their rituals, watching as Vinyl slips on her glasses, and Octavia puts on her tie, before the two finally turn back to you.

"You seem to be in a good mood this morning," comments Octavia as she leans down, and picks you up in her mouth again, before setting you gently on her back, so you can grab her mane and ride her once again.

"Why shouldn't I be? I could be going home today. If not, than I can at least ask if they can grow me back to normal. Heck, failing even that, they might at least be able to figure out a way to make me fly. If Twilight can give Rarity wings, surely the Princesses can do the same for me. If I ask nicely enough," you comment, and the pair nod, neither noticing that you have information they do not about a local. Not that you care anymore. Doctor Who is in this world. What's more, he has a companion, and what sounded like, when you thought about it, a family. That makes you a little less nervous about the fourth wall breaking. It does, however, still keep you from directly telling anyone they're cartoon characters...at least for now.

"Come on Tavia, we have to go. I hear the Princesses are already in town at that nerd girl's library," says Vinyl standing by the door, causing Octavia to sigh again as she trots towards her.

"'Nerd Girl' has a name, and since she's Celestia's protege you had best remember it, Twilight Sparkle. I expect you to be a bit more formal this time as well. This isn't our show, Vinyl, and I don't want you making fun of the Princesses in front of a crowd," scolds the grey pony as she comes up beside the white.

"I know this isn't the show, and believe me, I'm not gonna do nothing that could get her to get mad at me today. After all, if she's in a good mood, it makes it more likely she'll help our little friend here," she says, nodding her head towards you.

"So, you do care what happens to him then? After that whole idea for a show with him, I'd figured you'd want him to stay here forever and be your little pet," Octavia jibs, smirking at Vinyl, who blushes a bit.

"Well, yeah, I'd love it if he stayed, sure, I mean, you said he was cute, didn't you?" Vinyl gets back, and from her turned head, you can see Octavia blushing, a bit redder than Vinyl, though she quickly turns her head to face forward so you can't see it anymore.

"Uh, I was merely...commenting on aesthetics of his clothing, yes, that's it. Besides, even if I do think he's cute, he really should return to his own world. I'm sure he's as lost here, as we would be on his own world," she tells Vinyl, before using her mouth to open the door, and the pair start out towards the daylight, that leaves you blinded for a moment, before you blink against it, and can see clearly again.

"I hadn't thought about that. Well, I suppose. But what about his opinion? Do you wanna stay with us forever, little guy?" Vinyl asks you, and you stop to consider. Life, in your world, is boring, to the extreme. You have a job, you go to it, you go to school to get a better job later. You deal with your family, you hang out online. Even when you do something random, like skipping town for the night to go to a casino or something, it's always back to the normal stuff when you're done. Here, there's a chance for something different. Sure, it's mundane in its own way, but really, it's still new to you. Heck, maybe you can even travel to other worlds. You did always want to meet Picard of Star Trek, or go to the Star Wars universe, or maybe you can ride along with the Doctor for a while, or even find that endless party from the Hitchhiker's Guide books.

"Heh, I'd have to think about it. But if I can't get home, maybe I can start tooling around the multiverse. How'd you girls like to join me on that?" you ask them, and Vinyl, for her part, grins broadly, obviously up for an adventure. You can't see Octavia's face, but she's making an hmm type of noise, so she's obviously considering it. Before she can give you an answer though, the pair turn a corner and are again looking at the library, to find two chariots, Celestia's golden one drawn by white pegasi in shining armor, and Luna's obsidian one, drawn by black, bat winged ponies, their armor shiny, but in a way that seems to suck up the light.

"Well, looks like the Princesses are already here, just like Vinyl heard from Pinkie Pie. I do hope Celestia has forgiven us for that interview," said Octavia after pausing in mid trot for a moment, and then starting forward again. Vinyl just scoffs at her.

"Oh come on, Octy. You heard what she said later. She actually took my advice. I just hope Luna's not still mad about that crack against her ride. The Bat-Carriage," responded Vinyl, and then giggles at her own joke, while Octavia just shakes her head and sighs, as they walk towards the library, to meet with a pair of Goddesses.


	7. Princesses And Ponies

The Princesses are laughing at something as Octavia and Vinyl walk in, the Mane 6, save Rainbow Dash, giggling with them, with Rainbow looking a bit miffed, obviously a joke at her expense had just been told, probably by Applejack, considering her own expression. However, the laughing stills as Octavia and Vinyl stand there, neither moving, until every eye is on them, and they start forward, Octavia having a slight shake to her that, thanks to your position, you can feel. You try to give her a reassuring pat, but you're not sure how well it worked, as she stops in front of the others, and then turns her head to grab you, gently setting you down on the floor in front of her as she and Vinyl drop down in what is probably the closest thing the ponies can do to a bow.

Looking up from your position on the floor, you can tell why. Luna is a lovely creature, every line of her body a curve, and meeting in such a way to make her akin to a piece of art. Even her eyes, softer than when you'd seen her last in the show, sparkle with kindness, probably because this was an informal visit, rather than an official function. Celestia, meanwhile, radiates authority. Her presence is a power in and of itself, but not a bad one. She's like the sun, something that has power unfathomable to mortals, yet a power that helps more than it hurts. Looking up at her, while she's massive, you feel she'd never do you harm, so long as you didn't step out of line, and so you bow your head and drop to one knee, placing one hand against your chest, and the other as a fist against the ground. Whether that was the correct way to bow, you didn't know, but it felt right to you.

"So, this is the little human who caused quite a stir for my assistant yesterday," said Celestia in a voice that was...motherly. That's the only way to describe it.

"Yes Princess. These two brought him over to Rarity's yesterday, and after a bit of a mishap, they then brought him here. I did a quick test, but the results were...impossible. I'm sure of my findings now, but they don't make any sense. The human, he absorbed my magic, when I used a spell on him, and he drained my equipment's power too," said Twilight, looking at you, not accusingly, but in that way someone with a curious nature always looks at a puzzle. You, for your part, remain in the bowing position, at least until a bit of Luna's hair touches your cheek gently, and you raise your head to look up at her.

"Indeed? That is most interesting, isn't it sister?" says the Moon Princess, and her voice is actually nicer than her sisters. There's power there to be sure, and as the hair...mist...whatever brushes you, you can feel her power, like you felt Twilight's magic yesterday. More, you can feel her, all of her, her body and soul, and it's quite a feeling, forcing you to remain on one knee lest you fall over, before you can recover enough to rise, staring right into the faces of the Princesses.

"It is. Tell me, human, what is your name, and from where do you come?" asks Celestia, and you feel compelled to answer, telling her your name, and then starting to describe your world, it's position in the heavens, and even getting down to your street and address.

"That's enough, you can stop now," she says gently, raising a hoof before you, and you instantly stop talking mid word.

"So, it is true, he's from another world then. Interesting," was all Luna said of your diatribe of your information, starting to rub her chin with her hair, making you think of Nightmare Moon for some reason, while Celestia just looks down at you, before getting down on her own knees to draw closer.

"My faithful student says you have no memory of how you came to be here, is that correct?" she asks.

"It is, Princess. I slept last night, drifting in a dreamless void, a normal thing for me, if not for most people, and when I opened my eyes, I was here, and a greatly reduced stature. Vinyl happened to be the first pony I spotted, and after avoiding her hoof, I grabbed onto her tail. I was then brought to Twilight with greatest haste, and upon being teleported out of a precarious situation, I found my stature enhanced, from the size of a pony's tooth, to the size of a mouse, as you now see me," you told her, trying to be brief, and not blame anyone for what had happened to you due to your size.

"Interesting, perhaps the magic of my student caused said growth. Might I try an experiment? I would like to see if I could farther increase your height, using my own magic," she says, and you feel that it is a question, rather than an order, and one you can rightly refuse. However, that tone, her face, and everyone staring at you expectantly, you find yourself unable to refuse her, and so you merely nod. Wasting not a moment, Celestia's eyes close, and her horn begins to glow like a miniature sun unto itself, the tip of which slowly lowers towards you, as you feel the world hum with power. This is the force that Celestia can bring to bear, and you see now why she was the ruler of this world, so closing your eyes, you wait for that power to strike you, and with a flash, it does, taking your breath away.

The world explodes with power. You'd felt it before, from Twilight, but her power was a drop besides an ocean compared to this. You could feel as it touched you, everything Celestia was. A ruler, a creature of power both political and magical. That power and wisdom coursed through your body, every vein alive with the fire of it, as your hair stands on end, and you shout, not in pain, but exhilaration. This must be what they say when they talk about power corrupting. It feels so glorious, so magnificent that you just want to let if take you. You feel yourself reaching, somehow, for more of it. It's hard to explain, it's like you grew an extra hand, one made of the same power, and grasped it, trying to drag it into you, all of it at once.

However, as the power passes into you, you sense a 'pain'. It's the only word that comes to mind to describe it, and though you can't see Celestia, blinded as you are by the radiance of her power, you can still feel her, and feel her power lessening as more and more of it flows from her horn into your body. Feeling that, you suddenly have an image of yourself as a monster, draining her, taking her power for your own, and being a brutal dictator for this world. You can't help but feel somewhat enticed by the image, but you know it wouldn't be you. You couldn't hurt anyone, least of all someone trying to help you out of the kindness of her heart, and so you push away, pushing the power back where it belongs, and with a burst of magical might, you are tossed back.

"Tia!" you hear Luna cry out, and though you cannot see it, blinded by the light, you know she rushed to her sister's side.

"Princess!" echoed out of six different mouths, as the others followed suit, their hooves clacking against the ground.

"Little guy!" was a voice lost to the others, and you felt someone come near, two someone's in fact, and you almost smirked. The two you'd been hanging out with since you got here cared more for your safety than that of their goddess. Now that was friendship. Well, that or they just didn't realize what had almost happened to the Princess, but you felt the former was more likely.

"I'm okay Vinyl, I'm fine," you assure her, as she and Octavia come near you, and you blink against the spots, willing them to vanish. When that doesn't work, you just wait a little while longer, and soon you can see again, watching as the Princess slowly rises to her hooves, unsteady, but still there, and letting out a sigh of relief.

"Princess, are you alright?" asks Twilight, as she stands in front of Celestia, who has Luna at her side helping to keep her on her hooves. Celestia, blinking herself, nods after a moment, and does her best to put on a smile for her faithful student, but it was obvious to you, and thus probably more so to Twilight and the others, that she had been shaken, and you can't blame her. Without thinking about it, you flew to her side. Mind, you'd been hovering since the magical energy burst, but you'd ignored that as now, as you came to a stop in front of the Princess, resuming you bow.

"Celestia, I apologize greatly for what just happened. It was my fault," you quickly tell her, and you feel a shadow pass over you, and look up to find Luna, seemingly more terrifying that she had as Nightmare Moon, staring down at you.

"And just what happened? What has't thou done to Our sister?!" she demands, slipping back into her old voice, the last a shout that nearly blew you away, but you take it, and try to stammer out what happened. It doesn't get far though, before Celestia, standing a bit more steadily, puts her foreleg on Luna's flank, and then motions for her to back away, before leaning down in front of you again.

"No, little human, it was my fault as well. I underestimated the magical draining effect you would have on me," she said, and you feel her nuzzle up against you. It was...well, it was like having a sunny day touch you on your cheek, and you begin to wonder if you're going to run out of euphemisms soon if all this indescribable stuff keeps happening to you.

"Still, though I seem to have failed in restoring your height, you do seem to have gained something from my attempt. Unless other humans can fly," she tells you, and for the first time, you notice that you're not touching the ground, as her cheek had pulled back, you had come with it, and looking down you find that you're a good foot or two, to the ponies so several times your own height from your perspective, off the floor.

"Wha...um, no, no one on my world can fly without the assistance of a vehicle...I think," you add, wondering if Superman might really exist. Mind, he's not human, but...your brain decides to rebel at the recursive nature of reality, and after shaking off that feeling, you stare back at her, 'swimming' through the air to back away from her, so you can look her face to face.

"No, I'm positive of it. And it is a marvelous gift you've given me, even if it's not the one that was intended," you tell her, trying to bow, this time finding yourself falling into a head over heels spin, that stops just short of the floor when you land in a fluffy mane made of sun shine and...moving on.

"I'm glad, because I don't think I can try that again anytime soon. Until we do have you back to size, as I'm now surer than I was before that this is not natural for you, I don't think we should try to return you to your world. Though, if you really insist, I'm sure we could do that with a spell or two," she offers, and you feel it's genuine. If you really want to go home, she'll bend all her efforts to getting you there, and the way Luna's looking at you, you almost feel like it would be a better option. But if she's right, and you really are mouse sized compared to normal, than going home, especially if you can't fly there, wouldn't be a good idea.

"Then I believe I shall remain here, for now," you tell her simply, as the hair pushes you back upwards, and you swim away from it. You are now at eye level with Celestia, meaning you are a bit higher than the other ponies, the first time you've gotten to see them from that angle. From below, even the ones you liked were quite intimidating, as even Octavia, kind though she'd been to you, was simply huge compared to you, making you a little nervous. But looking down now, they were as adorable as the show made them out to be.

"Excellent. Spike. I require a note to be taken," she says, and Spike, whom you hadn't noticed before, came out from behind Twilight, quickly grabbing a quill and parchment, before standing beside the Princess.

"'To Professor DawnChaser at Manehatten University. Professor, I believe I have some proof for your theories on Magical Sink Holes, as you called them in your last book, and would request that you come to Ponyville as your earliest convenience, to meet with one such hole, a being called a human who comes from another world. Signed, Princess Celestia,'" she dictates to the dragon, who scribbles it all down, and then, before he can wrap it up, she leans close and whispers something in his ear that makes his eyes bulge a bit. He looks at her with a raised eyebrow, or the dragon equivalent anyway, for a moment, but then writes one more line, before rolling the scroll up, and then breathing fire on it, sending a whoosh of magical dust out the window, and towards the distance.

"DawnChaser? I haven't heard of him before. Is he new at the University?" asks Twilight, walking closer to her mentor, and Celestia nods.

"He isn't, it's just he's not really a teacher, but a lecturer, considering he's always a bit distracted. Still, he's got a spell that could help our friend here, or at least put him on an equal hoofing, which should help. Now, I believe Luna and I should return to Canterlot, as I have a meeting at noon, and Luna needs to prepare for the Night Court again," says the Sun Goddess, and suddenly you hear the theme song for an old TV show in your head, as the others just nod, none of them needing to be told what that is. The monarchs start for the door, with everyone else following a distance behind. Not really wanting to be disrespectful, as you still had more questions for Celestia, you follow behind them, figuring that this wouldn't be the last time you met her, as you doubted you would be going home anytime soon.

The Princess exited, and you saw, out one of the windows as you passed it, their guards quickly putting up some things they'd been playing with together. Oddly, you got the impression of dice, which sounded interesting. You remembered that gems, being common, were nigh on worthless here, especially since dragons ate them, but that they used coins of gold called bits for money. It may have been a trick of the light, but you swore you could see one of the bat winged guards of Luna place some sparkling things into his pack. That meant they had gambling here, which made you resolve to find out how to play. Heck, they might not have real poker, which would mean you could start a trend here in Equestria if you could get some cards, and even if they did, you could probably still introduce some fun games.

"Twilight, We thank you again for your hospitality, and hope to visit again in the future. Knowing the good Professor, he'll be in Ponyville by the end of the day, so We would suggest that some of you take our new guest around the town, as from what We were told, he didn't have much of a chance to look around yesterday," said Celestia, and for a moment, you wonder why she's using the royal plural. Well, you wonder until you look around and find a veritable sea of ponies standing around, probably finally having noticed that chariots of their rulers. Even with Twilight here in Ponyville, being visited by their monarch was quite an event, and likely she used it to keep up proper appearances. Of course, others were keeping up appearances as well, as you saw Hooves, both Derpy and Doctor, as well as two others near them, two Unicorns, one of age with the girls, and one much younger, obviously a family unit, with the Doctor looking just as excitedly at the Princesses.

"Of course Princess," she said, bowing her head. Luna, meanwhile, looks at you, the evil eye still in full effect, though a bit less harshly than before. Celestia seems to be better for now, and she might slowly be forgiving you for what happened. That didn't mean you wanted her to be staring at you like that though, and were glad when she and Celestia both got into their own carriages, and then flew off into the distance, the crowd quickly dispersing, though out of the corner of your eye, you saw the Doctor give you a meaningful look. What meaning it had you couldn't say, but it must have had meaning, and you resolve to meet with him again later, if you can, as the Six, and Octavia and Vinyl, walk back into the Library.

"Well, that was nice o' the Princess, to at least try somethin' to get you back to normal, don't you think?" asked Applejack as she turned towards you, the others all doing likewise and you nod.

"I'm very grateful for it. Even with the failure to get bigger, I now have some locomotion of my own that allows me to get around semi normally," you tell her, demonstrating it by flying upward, and then floating down, finding that the swimming motion, while feeling natural, wasn't really necessary. All you had to do was will yourself in the direction you wanted to go, and you went. Kind of nice really.

"So, how fast do you think you can go?" asked Rainbow Dash, flapping her wings to come near you, and you have to avoid her as she nearly plows straight into your form. Mind, that's probably what she wanted, as she grins at you cockily, trying to goad you into flying as fast as you can.


	8. I Heard That Vinyl!

Foolishness. It was pure foolishness. There was no way this should get to you. You should be above such things. Still, it was kind of hard to be above them with every eye on you, everypony expecting something. Heck, Vinyl even pulled down her glasses to wink at you, showing you her red eyes, and her own expression one telling you to do it. Octavia, Twilight, and basically anypony you should actually respect is looking at you like taking her up on this would be crazy. Then again, you're a human, a few inches tall, in a world of talking equines, and flying through the power of magic granted to you by a sun goddess, and better yet, you'd say this would make a pretty dull episode of the show if you'd had it on, too much focus on a new character, and he's pretty dull. Also, the whole nudity thing was just vulgar for a kid's show.

With that in mind, you rocket off. Swimming through the air had been about as fast as a pony's walk, but when you focus, pointing your fist like you were Superman or something, you fly like a bullet. There's a slight air displacement behind you, you can feel it, and you watch as a few pages get ruffled. At the speed you're going though, you quickly find yourself having to turn and fly in a loop around the room, spinning rapidly about the ponies, who try to keep up with you as you dart forward. Wanting to see your agility, you then quickly turn in towards them, zipping between massive legs, and then between hooves as they're lifted off the ground, almost getting stepped on by Rainbow Dash as she instinctively tries to squash you, only to zoom up, whirl around her wings, causing them to twist together, before landing on her head with a bow.

"That was awesome little dude," said Vinyl, smirking, as Dash raised her hoof and shook it at you, like she was trying to shoo away a fly. Seeing no reason to antagonize her further, you get off her head, and float at about eye level with the ponies.

"Yeah, yeah, very impressive. Not as fast as my, obviously," said Rainbow after uncurling her wings, and looking like she's about to take off, only to be stopped as Twilight holds her hoof in front of her face.

"No! No indoor tricks! It took me over a week to fix this place up last time you did that," she scolded, and Dash looked a bit embarrassed, as she scratched the back of her neck with her forehoof.

"And then the fires happened," she said, chuckling a bit.

"And then the fires happened," echoed Twilight, as Dash descended to the floor, and everyone just stood in silence for a few moments, collecting their thoughts.

"So, since I didn't get a chance to look around town yesterday, anypony want to show a new guy in this one horse...er, well two bit ville the sights?" you ask after a while, floating and looking around, and suddenly several faces light up. The conversation turns into a tumult as everyone suggests places to visit, from Sugar Cube Corner, to Sweet Apple Acres, to Rainbow Dash's house. Mind, you actually want to visit them all, but then something happens that makes all conversation stop dead in its tracks. Stomachs grumble, ten of them all at once, as you, Spike, and eight ponies are reminded that thanks to the early visit, none of you had eaten. Heck, you hadn't eaten since yesterday, and were being reminded by a hunger pang of that fact.

"First, let's do lunch, then we take out little visitor on a sightseeing tour, what do you say girls?" asked Twilight, and there's a round of agreement, though a new conversation starts up. Mostly in the vein of where to go for lunch, though Pinkie also inserts whether or not to just skip lunch and go right to dessert, which sounds interesting, but you reject it out of hand, needing some real food before you pass out. At last, there's an agreement of two choices, Sweet Apple Acres, or a cafe downtown that Twilight likes called the Dreaming Tree, probably the same one from Ticket Master, though you don't mention that to them. The former likely has more food you can eat, all apple based, but still, while the latter might have more variety, and is in a more interesting locale.

"Well, I still want to see the town, so how's about we try this cafe?" you answer when asked, hoping the place actually has something you can eat. You hadn't considered it before, but the ponies ate...well, they ate grass and stuff, and Spike ate gems. Heck, the show itself had never shown you much that you could actually make a meal of beyond apples, which, while healthy, weren't something you wanted to eat every day for the rest of your life. Still, they had other vegetables, and while your modern sensibilities were one for junk food, fries, and an occasional pizza, you would deal. It wasn't like you had much choice unless whatever force had brought you here just as mysteriously took you back to where you belonged. Or maybe this is where you belonged, who knew.

"I'll pass, that place never has any good gemstones, and I've got some cleaning to do anyway," says Spike, sounding like it was a usual thing for him, but not an intolerable one, as he starts to pick up a few books and put them up, before opening a door between a few shelves, rummaging around inside, and then pulling out something that looked like a rupee from Zelda, which be bit into with a loud crunch, the others ignoring him as they start for the door.

"So, while we're walking, how's about we show you the sights around the square, or, since you already know so much about us, you tell us?" asked Twilight, only a bit of accusation getting into her voice. Of course she would remember from yesterday that you knew a bit too much about their world, and the others, moving towards the exit, barely notice as she gets closer to you, her horn glowing slightly, and you can feel the magic as it surrounds the two of you. Somehow, you know it's both an illusion spell, making it look like the two of you are talking amicably, and a silencing spell, so no one can hear you talk.

"You really are too perceptive for your own good, you know that?" you tell her, and fly next to her head, lounging a bit in the air. That actually proved to be harder than you expected as your center of gravity kept shifting, and after a few moments, you just sat cross legged next to her, trying to keep up with the pony's pace as they walked, the other chatting just outside the spell.

"Besides, there's not that much to tell. I know things, because I'm from another dimension that has some crosses with yours'," you tell her simply.

"Oh, and I'm supposed to believe you somehow don't know how you hot here, if you already know things like me making wings for Rarity?" she demands, looking at you almost as evil eyed as Princess Luna from yesterday.

"Heh, believe what you will, my little pony. The truth is, I know nothing about this world in detail. I know general things, and I know there are adventures to be had. Still, if you want something from me, then I give you my promise. I won't hurt anypony, or dragon, or thing around here, knowingly. I'm not a villain, despite what I almost did to the Princess. I'm a guy, who's fallen through a hole in the Fourth Wall, and now gets to explore a land of make believe. Heck, I'm thinking of starting an autograph book sometime," you tell her, trying to put as much sincerity into your voice as you can. Twilight, for her part, eyes you a little funny still, but then just turns her head, and with a thought, you feel the spell around the two of you shatter.

"I'll hold you to that promise, and if I think you're breaking your word, I will make you regret it," she said, motioning with her hoof towards her stomach, and you remembered both times you'd been eaten. Not pleasant experiences, and you just nod, trying not to think about them, as everypony arrives as the cafe. It was, as you'd surmised, the place where you'd seen Twilight in the Ticket Master, and everyone started to gather around the tables, you taking a seat on the table itself, with the waiter walking up, looking at you, looking at the ponies with you, and then sighing with a mumbled complaint about Twilight and her strange friends, before smiling and coming forward.

"Welcome to the Dreaming Tree, I'll assume our young Canterlot librarian will have her usual?" he asks, and you notice he's not the one from the show. Instead of a white earth pony with a dark mane, he's a light green unicorn, with a dark green mane, though still wearing the fancy shirt you remember that snooty sounding waiter wore in the episode.

"That would be lovely," said Twilight, using her levitation to send the menu that had been sitting at her place back towards him. You, looking down, find a similar menu at your own place, and try to unfold it, to not much success, until Octavia, looking towards you, reaches down and lifts your menu up, setting it up on its side so you can read it.

"Thanks," you tell her, as you start to look through the items. Luckily, since you have no idea what food might be what, the menu comes with pictures. Unluckily, as you'd thought, most of the food offered was grass, flowers, and occasionally something that looked like mud. Hay fries look especially unappitizing, as they're literally just hay stalks, likely roasted. Still, not all the food is inedible, and as the others place their orders, Fluttershy getting a salad, Rarity something that sounded French, Applejack and Rainbow both getting sandwiches with lots of stuff in them, Pinkie getting all desserts, with Vinyl joining her at that game, and Octavia, after a moment, just asking for whatever Twilight was getting, the waiter turns to you, and you hover just over the edge of your menu and ask for a plate of pasta.

"Alright, I'll be back in a moment with your orders," he says as he levitates your menu away, walking towards the cafe, and stepping through a door. This leaves everyone looking around, that awkward moment when conversation needs to start, but no one can think of what to say. You don't even bother trying to fill it, as you look around the cafe. The town around you looks so darn interesting. Ponies, of all shapes, colors, and sizes walk about on their daily business. From a few pegasi pulling carts through the clouds, to earth ponies with saddlebags stuffed full rushing along the street. This is a small town life, just living day to day. Heck, the others don't even seem interested in it at all, as Rarity snacks on the flowers in the center of her table, and Octavia is busy straightening the table cloth, with Vinyl then unstraightening it a moment later.

"So, what does everyone here do for a living?" you ask at last. You already know the answers to most of the questions, but then, it seemed like a good way to break the ice.

"Oh! Well, I'm Princess Celestia's student. I run the Ponyville Library, and receive a stipend from the Royal Treasury of a few bits a month," said Twilight helpfully, smiling at being able to educate someone, and any earlier distrust in you seemingly just vanished, possibly thanks to the promise, as Twilight seems the type to take promises very seriously, and possibly thanks to just being with the others.

"And I um...I care for animals and pets around Ponyville. It doesn't make much money, but I don't want for much either," says Fluttershy, a bit quietly, but still, she's not squeaking, which is a good thing, as you remember her never liking to talk about herself.

"Heh, well, you heard that my family runs a farm outside a' town, right? That's what I do most days, except when I'm with mah friends," says Applejack.

"And I'm the Weather Pony for all of Ponyville. I gots the skills, that pays the bills," says Rainbow Dash, brushing her hoof against her chest and then smirking at you.

"Ooo ooo ooo, me next, me next! I work for the Cakes over at Sugar Cube Corner, which is where we should have gone for lunch because then I could have gotten all our food for free and it would all have been yummy sweets and cakes and pies a-" says Pinkie Pie, being stopped when Applejack shoves a flower into her open mouth, though you could hear her muffledly continuing to talk even as she chewed her mouthful.

"And as for me, Darling, as you saw yesterday, I'm a fashion designer. I run the Carousel Boutique, which is quickly becoming the fashion hot spot for all of Equestria's most elite ponies," Rarity fills you in, tossing her mane a bit, trying to look proud and beautiful, which, you have to admit, she does.

"And I blast the tunes that ponies groove too, as well as run the number one talk show in all the land," said Vinyl loudly, looking like she wanted some buttons to push to make some noise, like any other shock jock back home who had their own radio show.

"He knows that Vinyl, remember, he was on the air with us last night," Octavia reminded her.

"Oh, yeah, that's right. Well then, since we told you ours', how's about you little guy. What do humans do for a living?" Vinyl says, turning the question back on you, and everyone, including someponies at tables nearby start to look at you expectantly.

"Um, well, I'm an office drone," you say at last, and most of the others just stare at you.

"You're an insect?" asks Twilight after a moment, and you emphatically shake your head.

"No, no, nothing like...well really something like that, as that's where the word comes from, but really, I just do work in an office. Anything that needs doing, so I've been both go-fer, meaning I pick things up for others, to data analyst, meaning I study charts and try to make them understandable, to a junior executive once, where I sat on my bottom in a big chair and blamed everyone under me for my own short comings," you say, quite honestly.

"That sounds...rather pointless and boring," responds Vinyl after a while, and you nod emphatically.

"Uh...look our food!" she say as a distraction, and luckily, it's not wrong. The unicorn, levitating the dishes, brings them to the table, setting two plates of chocolate cake that appears to be stuffed with candy in front of Vinyl and Pinkie, while Fluttershy gets he salad, and Octavia and Twilight both get daffodil and daisy sandwiches. Rarity's dish is a bit odd, and looks like some kind of pastry, except with flowers in it, while Applejack and Rainbow Dash both get sandwiches as well, triple decker ones that look like their full of several types of flowers. Last but not least, your own bowl is set in front of you, it's a bowl of string pasta sized for you.

"Well, I don't know why they had it in my size, but I'm grateful," you say, less to anyone else, and more to yourself, as you start to dig in. The others do as well, with the unicorns levitating their food to their mouths and taking bites...well Vinyl's taking chunks out of her's, but otherwise Twilight and Rarity are actually trying to show table manners. Like Vinyl, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie are just scarfing down their food, Dash appearing to choke at one point, before swallowing heavily, and then keeping going, making you wonder less about how she could have eaten Applejack without realizing it. Octavia is holding her own sandwich between her two forehooves and sitting back on her seat while she takes dainty bites, while Fluttershy is doing the same to her salad, leaning down to take bites from the bowl.

"Of course, silverware is nowhere to be found," you mumble, and then shrug. When in Ponyville, one does as the ponies, and so you dive head first into the pasta, using your tongue to drag noodles that are a bit bigger than your used too, but not as big as one would expect, into your mouth, and then suck them inside. Luckily, you don't have to try too hard to avoid making slurping noises, as the more messy of your fellow diners are making more than enough noise to cover up anything you do. Unluckily, it's still not easy to eat with just your face, and so you have to keep pulling back and coming up for air, while everyone else is fine eating the way they are, since their nostrils still allow them to breath.

"Um, you doin' okay there little 'un?" says Applejack around a mouthful, and you nod at her, noticing your bowl is almost empty now, as well as everyone else's plates around you. Ponies eat fast...well you knew Pinkie Pie did, but the others always struck you as being better mannered. Still, you find you aren't starving anymore, and push the bowl away from you after drawing out another strand and slurping it up. The gang laughs when you emit a rather loud, considering your size, belch while the other patrons around the cafe just look on at you, none of them seemingly sure what to think about the tiny creature in their midst.

"So, what -gulp- next?" asks Rainbow Dash, as she downs the last bite of her own meal, and looks around. Everypony suggests something different all at once, and you wonder if this will lead to another vote. Luckily though, they all decide quickly to just wander the square for a little while, just to get a good look. Not having any better ideas yourself, you hover off the ground a little, and find that, oddly, you can't fly nearly as well. Oh, you can still do it, but it takes a bit more focus than before, and after a moment or two, you turn to Octavia and ask if she can carry you on her back again, to which she happily agrees, letting you land, as everyone walks forward, Twilight or one of the Six pointing out landmarks, and Octavia and Vinyl start to list off their own experiences from previous visits to Ponyville.

"And that's where they setup the stage on Nightmare Night for myself and my ensemble," says Octavia, pointing just beside where the town hall stands. Remembering the episode, you force yourself not to ask specific questions. While Twilight seems to be the only one who remembers you have knowledge you shouldn't you don't want to push too hard with it.

.

"Nightmare Night?" you ask instead, and are quickly filled in on the details of the holiday. It was originally, according to Twilight, a rather cheerful holiday, to commemorate the defeat of Nightmare Moon, and celebrations would last well into the night. Over one thousand years though, the celebration changed into one of scaring children with stories of Nightmare herself, and it morphed into a candy giving holiday. How that last part happened she's not sure, but Pinkie quickly tells her it's because candy is awesome, and thus, should be part of every holiday, a sentiment to which Vinyl quickly agrees.

"Like you need any more help rotting your teeth," Octavia chides, and Vinyl just smiles at her, revealing a pair of chompers that are actually almost as white as her coat. You make not comment though, as your own teeth aren't exactly sparkling. Before the conversation can go farther, you spot a familiar face, or rather, a pair of familiar faces, and two others, walking along the path nearby. Derpy, the Doctor, and what you can only assume are their children, are coming closer, with the Doctor laughing at something you hadn't heard. They don't turn towards you, but you can tell Derpy at least is giving you a sidelong glance, and you wonder if they're going to come closer.


	9. New Friends

"Well hello, isn't this quite the gathering," says the Doctor as he, Derpy, and the two younger unicorns come nearer. The others are all smiles, including Vinyl, who seems to know Derpy, and the Mane Six all seem to know the Doctor as they talk amongst themselves, the two younger ponies hanging back a bit as their parents chat. Not knowing what to say yourself, you stay out of the conversation too, and luckily, so does Octavia, not seeming to know anyone. Unluckily, as soon as the various bits of random talking are over, the Doctor and Derpy come over to where she's standing, the Doctor to stare at you, and Derpy just kind of hanging on with him.

"So, this is the human I heard about on the radio last night then?" he asks, knowing full well who you are, but since that was after breaking into somepony else's house, he probably doesn't want to advertise that fact, and you respect him by trying to act like you don't know him.

"I am indeed. And you would be a pony whom I haven't met yet, but seems to know everypony I've run into so far," you respond.

"Oh, right, human, this is Mr. Whooves, Mr. Whooves, human," says Twilight, seeming the most familiar with the Doctor. She then gives the name you'd been giving out to them, and the Doctor nods thoughtfully.

"A human in Equestria, that's just brilliant, it is. Still, seems awfully small," he says, holding his hoof above you, and just to surprise him, you flit around it like Tinkerbell might, and do a swirl up his leg until you are right in front of his face.

"Who you callin' small, brown boy?" you ask, hovering in front of his face. You would stay there trying to give him the evil eye, but suddenly you find yourself wobbling in the air, and land with a thud right on his face, causing him to panic a bit and toss his head back, throwing you into the air. You don't scream, though that's more because the speed at which this happened had ripped the air from your lungs, and you go sailing high into the sky, before your arc reverses, and you plummet back down towards the earth. One might expect the unicorns in the group, considering there are a few, to catch you with their telekinesis, but before any of them can do so, a blur swoops under you, and you land with a thump on the back of a pegasus, between a pair of massive wings that flap a few times, before fluttering down towards the ground.

"Thanks Rain...er Mrs. Whooves," you say, surprises to find that instead of being Rainbow Dash, fastest flier in Equestria, it was in fact Derpy Whooves who'd saved you, and she giggles a little while grinning at you on her back.

"Don't mention it. Between me and my husband I've had a lot of practice at catching things we drop," she says, and then you find yourself covered in a light blue glow, that levitates you off her back, and gently sets you back down on Octavia's, the telekinesis being provided by Vinyl, who smiles at you, and mouths, good job, before getting a look from Octavia and putting on her most innocent smile.

"Well now, that was interesting. Since when can humans fly?" asks the Doctor, rubbing his nose with his hoof. Before you can answer though, Derpy walks up beside him and kicks his shin a bit hard, considering you can hear the hoof smack.

"Dear, don't you think it would be best if we left? You did just nearly get their little friends squishified on the ground, and we still need to take Sparkler to get tested for magic," said Derpy, pointing back towards the pink unicorn, who blushes a bit. That was probably not something you wanted your mom to say to anyone, least of all the local heroes, who try to put on a good face...expect for Vinyl and Rainbow Dash who are giggling behind their hooves, despite some more withering glances, these from Octavia and Applejack respectively.

"What? Oh, right! The tests, well then, I suppose we should go, but be sure to look us up later, I have a lot of questions for your human friend," he says, and the family trots off, the others looking at each other, before they continue on with the tour.

"Who were they?" you ask Applejack, who's walking close to Octavia, trying to keep your voice a whisper.

"Well, the fella was Doctor Whooves, though what he's a doctor of I don't rightly know. His blushin' bride though, she's our local malemare, Derpy, and the youngun's are Dinky and Sparkler, some real stand up gals. Sparkler even helps out at the farm now and then, though I think that's cause she's got a crush on Big Macintosh," Applejack explains, and you look back over Octavia's flank at the pink one, and then try to imagine her next to the mountain that was Big Macintosh...and failing that you just let the subject drop as the pony party continues their tour.

In the next hour, you are taken all around Ponyville, seeing things from Sugar Cube Corner, which Pinkie nearly dragged the party to, though she was prevented from going inside by a pull from both Applejack and Rainbow Dash, while Octavia stopped Vinyl from entering, to check on the sweets they both insisted, not to eat anything. You also saw the Boutique where Rarity worked, though again, no one wanted to go inside, least of all Rarity, who insisted she would faint dead away if she looked once more on the mounting pile of work she had to do. They then insisted on taking you to see Fluttershy's cottage, which was outside the city, but was one of the nicest spots in town, and so, not really having a choice, you were dragged off to it.

"And there it is, the cutest little corner of Equestria there ever dun was," says Applejack, and looking at it from a really being there perspective, it really was. The place smelled...earthy and natural, something you really hadn't expected considering the animals, but then, they weren't on a farm or anything, and while Fluttershy built a coop for the chickens, everyone else lived in more natural dwellings. Heck, her own tree was more natural looking than any other home tree you'd seen, with the branches a chaotic tangle of life overhead.

"It's lovely," was all you said. Not because it was all you had to say, but because before you could say more, a sudden thundering boom echoed over the whole area, the trees and things shaking visibly from it, and through Octavia, you could feel it too, shaking you, until you fell off her back, and with a bit of flight power, landed on your feet lightly in the dirt. Of course, the instant you were down you had to dodge a hoof, though who's you couldn't tell, as you rolled out of the way watching it pound into the dirt where you'd been as the ponies try to stay standing, the pounding getting closer, and the sounds of trees falling reaching you. With a roar, a huge shape, bigger than the whole world, or at least the size of a dragon compared to the girls, comes out of the trees. Looking up at the mountain, expecting a monster like an Ursa major or the like, you are surprised to find yourself staring instead at a giant pony.

Now, when the pony is described as giant, don't take that to mean giant from your perspective. All of them were pretty big from your perspective after all. No, this pony was giant from everypony's perspective. His, and from the shape of the head you were sure it was a he, stood several feet taller than the trees that surrounded Fluttershy's cottage. He towered above everypony, and his hooves, once they broke the tree line, were big enough that he could have crushed any of the girls as easily as they could have crushed you, if not more so considering he appeared to be a bit bulkier. Luckily, he was easily visible, with a dark purple coat, several shades darker than Twilight's, and a bright orange mane. Unluckily, those under his hoof didn't seem as visible, as his hoof hovers overhead for a moment, and nearly steps on the group, landing just past them.

"See? I told you this was the right way? How could you ever doubt me?" he says, and turns his head, allowing you to see silver eyes, an interesting color actually, and he smiles at something on his back. You then notice that he's wearing saddlebags made in the same color as his mane, but due to the angle, you can't see his cutie mark. Also interesting is, like with you, his voice sounds normal, not huge and booming like one would expect of a giant, probably something to do with the world, but then, it is a magical land full of ponies and thing.

"Because we should have been here an hour ago and you stopped to investigate that old griffon nest?" comes a reply, sounding exasperated, and suddenly a head peeks out from behind his back, looking towards where you assume Ponyville is in the distance.

"What in tarnation is goin' on here?!" demands Applejack, after she and the others get over the sight of somepony almost as big to them as they are to you, and suddenly both heads turn towards you. Now you can get a better look at the pony on the back of the giant one. He looks to be about the same size as the girls, a bit bigger probably, as he's also male, with a light brown coat, and dark brown mane, offset by orange eyes, a few shades lighter than the mane on the giant pony he was riding.

"And you almost stepped on the locals again. This is turning into the Fillydelphia trip all over again," says the brown pony.

"Well, this time try to stay out of the dance clubs then. I don't want to have to search for you for three days again," chided the purple pony, his head turning, and you finally notice that he has a unicorn's horn, a detail lost on you before since he was just massive compared to anything you'd seen before. You notice it now because it glows slightly, and then a small shimmer covers the giant pony, who then seems to collapse into himself like a deflating balloon, soon standing only a bit taller than the girls, while shaking his head a bit.

"I thought we agreed never to speak of that again?" asked the now tiny pony from on his back as he was levitated down to the ground by the once purple giant. The brown one then revealed he too was a unicorn, his own horn glowing, as he grew up from your size, to stand at the same stature as the others.

"You agreed, I said nothing. Now then, perhaps you lovely ladies can help some strangers out. I'm looking for...hmm...you know, I don't rightly know what we're looking for...Deasly, what was it we came here for again?" he asked, turning to the other unicorn, who sighed and facehoofed, before pushing the purple one aside, and nodding his head in greeting to the girls.

"I'm sorry for the Professor's rudeness, he's a bit of a ditz. It's a pleasure to meet all of you. I'm also sorry if he startled you, but him being dragon sized is one of the easiest ways to make good time getting here. As he said, I'm Deasly, apprentice level Magister. and this flighty pony is my instructor, Professor DawnChaser," said Deasly, gesturing towards the purple pony, who had seemingly forgotten everyone was there as he looked around Fluttershy's home, and began to pull leaves off nearby trees, looking at them and studying them intently.

"Say hello, Professor," Deasly told the purple unicorn.

"Hello, Professor," responded DawnChaser with a smirk.

"-sigh-. Anyway, we're here because a royal summons arrived today at the Hayvard office telling us there was a potential research subject here. Do any of you know where we can find a thing called a human?" asked Deasly facehoofing again at the purple pony professor's remark, but then smiling pleasantly as he faces the girls.

"That would be me," you speak up from Octavia's back, and the pair of unicorns both turn to notice you for the first time. The Professor, looking at you, sets the leaves he'd collected down in a nice neat pile, before trotting forward, his saddle bag opening, and a ruler coming out of it, growing from near microscopic size to pony size, and then floating next to you.

"Fascinating," was all he said, as the ruler hovered for a moment, before going back into his saddlebag, and then a few more devices coming out.

"Professor, I told you, stop being rude. Now put your toy's away until we've made proper introductions," chided Deasly again, and DawnChaser, looking at the girls, suddenly zipped everything back into his pack.

"Oh, of course. I'm sorry, I just get caught up in my studies. I'm Professor DawnChaser, lecturer at Hayvard University just outside Manehatten, and this is my apprentice, Deasly," he said.

"They know that, I told them not a minute ago. Now how's about we politely ask their names?" Deasly said again, and DawnChaser nodded, before pulling a book out of his bag, and starting to look through it.

"Well, the one over there is Twilight Sparkle, she's the apprentice of Celestia, and a powerful unicorn, probably the strongest of the last few generations. The one with the hat is Applejack, she's one of the Apple Family, an extended farmer line who owns the local Sweet Apple Acres. The pink one is Pinkie Pie, she works at Sugar Cube Corner. The white unicorn is Rarity, she runs a local Boutique, and is a fashion deva prided for her design talents. The blue pegasus with rainbow colored mane and tail is Rainbow Dash, she's one of the local weather wardens. The pegasus with pink hair is Fluttershy, I don't have any information beyond that," he said, the last bit done in a different tone, as if he was surprised to not know anything else about Fluttershy.

"The six of them together are the new Wielders of the Elements of Harmony. The other two are obviously noted radio personalities Vinyl Scratch and Octavia, the white one is Vinyl, the brown Octavia. They run a popular radio talk show named for Vinyl, and are in a relationship together, though how deep it goes, I'm not sure," he said, and suddenly a quill comes out of the saddle bag, growing like everything else from tiny to normal as he scribbles something else down into his book, and then turns it towards the others, who are a bit surprised by what they see. You are too, all things considered.

The book contained pictures, of them...all of them, in profile, with their cutie marks, a few basic stats to the side like birthday and things, which you notice that your's is within a week of Octavia's, and just a day past Twilight's, if the numbering of days and months is the same. Beyond basic statistics though, he includes other things, including biographical data, and what you can only assume are RPG stats, as they're marked with just numbers, but say things like strength, endurance, magic, and agility, though what the limit of them is, or even what the numbers mean you don't know before he slams the book closed, and then slips it back into his bag.

"Um...don't think that he's been stalking you or anything. That's just the Professor's way. He remembers things he reads, so he writes down everything, on just about anypony he knows about," explains Deasly, before anypony can assume the worst.

"Well now, that's a mighty interetin' book ya'll got there Professor, but since you're here, might I suggest we all mosey somewhere else for a bit of privacy?" asks Applejack, and the others, looking around at a gathering of ponies, who'd probably seen the giant DawnChaser earlier, agree. It's decided, after a bit of debate to head to Sweet Apple Acres.

Well, some of you head to Sweet Apple Acres anyway. As it turns out, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rarity have to get back to their jobs, as Rainbow has kind of let her part of the Weather Warden duties slide for...two or three weeks, and she needs to make up for it today. Pinkie Pie doesn't really give a reason, but then, she seems to just want to get back to Sugar Cube Corner, where those sweet smells had been coming from. Fluttershy is a bit more forthcoming, and says simply that her animal friends need some mid-day tending to, feeding, medicine, and the like, and so she'll just stay at her cottage. Rarity, meanwhile, admits that she too has her job to consider, and needs to get back to it before orders get too backed up to ever dream of catching up. Interestingly enough, she drags Vinyl off with her, the white mare having agreed to help out while she was in town, something that Octavia cheerfully reminds her, as Rarity and she trot back towards town.

So a much reduced group set off from Fluttershy's cottage towards the road that leads straight to the farm, with Applejack in the lead, Twilight just behind her, talking about something that seemed to be a bit private, considering they'd pulled ahead to discuss it, and you riding Octavia's back, with Deasly, who is looking around interestedly, probably never having been to Ponyville before, trotting beside, and DawnChaser on the other side, a book pulled out, into which he was quickly scribbling, the quill levitated by his power flying like it was still part of the bird, a blur of motion over the page, until, a minute or so after you start, he turns the book around, and you find yourself staring at a picture of you, and quite a good one too.

"That's an excellent skill, Mr. DawnChaser. Does your writing and drawing talent have something to do with your cutie mark?" asks Octavia, looking towards his flank, which was still covered up by the saddle bags he was wearing.

"Oh, no, that's just a force of habit, my cutie mark is...well," he doesn't bother to explain, and instead levitates the saddle bag, revealing his cutie mark to be a book as one might have surmised. It was an oldish looking book too, like one of those wizarding tomes you see in fantasy fiction, with slightly yellowing pages, a brown, dusty looking cover, and open with a red bookmark that appeared to be attached to the book holding the pages in place. There was writing too, but it wasn't anything you could understand, just squiggles, but they seemed to move and shift a bit every time you turned your head just a little.

"So your special talent is books?" you ask, probably a bit insensitively, sine this was like the pony version of puberty, but you are really curious. After all, he's the first pony not from the show you'd met personally, though you'd seen a few from a distance during the Ponyville tour.

"Sort of. I retain information I read. I can read a book, and then recite it to you from end back to the beginning word for word, years later," he says. It wasn't pride in his voice as he did it though, just a statement of fact, though at least Octavia looked impressed, though you bet Twilight, if she'd been paying attention, would have been more so.

"That must make teaching an excellent job for you," she comments, and Deasly laughs at it. He doesn't shy away as Octavia turns to him, or as DawnChaser gives him what should have been a withering glare, but fails miserably when he sees something, a bird you think, overhead, and is instantly distracted.

"So he's not good at teaching?" asks Octavia.

"Oh, he's a great teacher, when he remembers he has a class. There were whole weeks there where he'd vanish, however, or he'd just leave in the middle of a test or lecture, wandering off, only to come back with some new book to publish. Heck, I think that's the only reason they keep him on, he keeps publishing theory books that make the school look good. Well, that and he's got tenure thanks to being able to cover for just about any teacher in any subject with that ability. He never forgets to sub, mind, and always follows the lesson plans, but when he's supposed to be the teacher regularly, he'll just kind of forget about it," comments Deasly, how motions his head towards DawnChaser, who's now stopped at the side of the road, drawing something else in his book.

"Professor! If you don't hurry up, we're going to leave you behind!" he shouts, and DawnChaser only now seems to notice that no pony else had stopped with him, and quickly closes the book he'd been writing in, before trotting to catch up.

"Like that?" asks Octavia, asking him to clarify his earlier statement about DawnChaser's flighty nature. Deasly merely nods.

"I think that's why I was assigned to be his protege for my entrance into the Magisters, because I can keep an eye on him, and follow him even when he doesn't want to be followed," he says.

"Oh, and why can you do that?" she asks, and you notice for the first time that Deasly doesn't have a cutie mark...or rather, he's wearing something over his, saddlebags, like the Professor's, but thinner, probably like wallet thick to the pony, and colored precisely to match his coat. Deasly smirks, obviously having forgotten himself that they were covering his mark, and uses his snout to lift the one on your side, showing his mark. It was three silhouettes of ponies, one tiny, one big, and one in between the two, with them getting darker in reverse order of size, meaning the small one was completely black, and the big one was almost a shadow.

"My special talent spell, is a shrink spell, watch," he said, and hopped towards Octavia, with her flinching and pulling back a bit, but she needn't have bothered. As he flies at her, Deasly's horn glows a bit, and suddenly he's tiny again, like when he'd been on DawnChaser's back earlier, and he lands on her's lightly, his hooves not even denting her coat as he trots towards you. He's actually only a bit over half your size, four feet or so, with his head coming up to just at your chest, while standing on his hind legs he would probably be a foot or two taller than you.

"Now that is a neat trick," you say, looking down at him, and poking him a bit to prove that he's real. He doesn't take kindly to that, and runs at you, causing you to hop, and land on his back, showing that, considering his size, he's actually pretty strong, able to hold you up with ease, and probably gallop if he wanted to. This time, since he doesn't want to, he rolls, and you are flattened into Octavia's fur for a moment, rising and smiling. It had been a while since you'd been able to interact with anyone like that, and you had to admit, it was nice.

"It's not a trick, it's a useful skill. Mind, unlike the Professor, I can't just do it to anything I please. It takes some concentration, and even then, they have to have some natural magic, so mostly I can only work my spell on other ponies, and then only if they're willing to stand still for me to cast it. I did learn to do it to my own fur, though, or things wrapped in it, which is why I wear the saddle bags I do," he explains, and opens them. Inside his are sketch books, rather than library ones like DawnChaser's. He doesn't open them though, and instead just slips them back inside before closing the bags.

"That actually sounds useful. Think we can trick Vinyl into staying put long enough for you to do it to her? Or at least to her ego?" asks Octavia, and you all...well the three of you have a good laugh, as the group continues to trot onward towards Sweet Apple Acres.


	10. Liquor Is Quicker

You, Deasly, and Octavia carry on your conversation, with Octavia turning her head every once in a while to give the two of you a glare whenever you step outside the bounds that you are still discovering. Most subjects out of bounds are her and Vinyl's personal relationship, K-Colt and why it's off the air, and an interview they'd done with Celestia that, according to Deasly, had been just hilarious to listen to. He had, as it turned out, been a faithful listener for most of The Vinyl Scratch's life, from episode one to the last one they did during which Vinyl...off limits. Anyway, Deasly had, he said, been one of numerous ponies to write letters to Octavia after a particularly moving episode when they'd interviewed Spitfire of the Wonderbolts for the first time.

"You were one of them?" asked Octavia, a bit broken voiced. Obviously this was a bit of a soft spot for her, and when Deasly nodded emphatically, he got a kiss, which set his brown fur blazing red around his cheeks for a second, before a hollar from ahead got your attention.

"And here we are! Sweet Apple Acres, home of Equestria's best apples," said the farm pony, taking off her hat as she looked around at the sight, which is was quite lovely. The near noonday, a bit past, sun was blazing, and the apples shone in the light of it, shimmering drops of red on deep green leaves.

"Also home to the sweetest apple wine this world's ever known," commented the Professor, and your ears perked up a bit. This was the first time anyone had mentioned alcohol in your presence, and while you weren't a heavy drinker, this situation seemed just right to get something to drown one's sorrows in.

"That too, and I must admit, I'm feelin' a might thirsty my own self, so why don't we mosey on towards the farm house and get us all somethin' to drink?" offered Applejack, and before anyone else could really respond, she started off towards the home in the distance. Of course, in order to get there, the road ran right by part of the orchard, and before your group had gone more than a few dozen yards, the Professor suddenly let out a rather loud yell, and ran right up to the fence, waving his hoof in the air at somepony you couldn't see from your angle.

"Well, do my eyes deceive me? You said you worked out in the boondocks, but I never expected it was this far out," he called out, and you heard heavy steps coming closer, knowing who it was long before the head of Big Macintosh came over the fence, soon followed by the rest of him as he easily leaped it, grinning at DawnChaser.

"Professor, you didn't send me no letter you was comin by," said Big Macintosh, the most words you'd heard from him in a long time, his voice a bit softer than one might expect, given his size, but still deeper than the other ponies.

"Heh, I didn't know I'd be coming myself. Still, I must be slipping, I forgot you worked here on the farm during your main work week," said the Professor, as he and Big Macintosh bumped hooves together and shook them.

"Uh, Big Macintosh, do you know this fellar?" asked Applejack, curious as anyone at her brother's familiarity with the Professor.

"Course I do sis. I told you about him plenty of times. He's my drinking buddy from Manehatten," he tells her, and the two stallions begin to swap a story, but before they can get farther than the first shared sentence, Applejack holds up a hoof to stop them.

"Wait, you're tellin' me this pony is the one you spent all that time with during those deliveries. I thought you said he was bigger than you?" she asks, and the two just smile at each other some more, before DawnChaser lets loose with a spell, and suddenly Big Macintosh is the size of a mouse at the hooves of the others.

"He is sometimes, other times he's not, that's what I said," Big Macintosh told her, and DawnChaser used the spell again, this time on himself, causing him to shrink down to about the same size as Big Macintosh, as the two continued to trade stories the two of them likely both knew, and Applejack, looking down at her 'big' brother, just sighed, rolled her eyes, and started moving forward again. Deasly looked down towards here his mentor was chatting in the tall grass, but didn't stop Octavia from trotting off after Applejack and Twilight.

"They'll be fine. The Professor is actually really good at staying alive at tiny size, and he doesn't let anypony get hurt if they're with him, I know," said Deasly, as the trio of mares, and a human and colt, walked into the farm house. Luckily, it was empty.

"Well, Applebloom and the Crusaders are probably out at their little club house again, and Granny Smith went to visit a doctor over in Canterlot, so we've got the place to ourselves until my little brother decides to come in. So, how's about we nip into that apple wine Mr. Fancy Pants I can shrink myself and somepony's brother Professor was talkin about?" she asks, walking into the kitchen, and soon returning with a large bottle marked with three large X's on its label.

"Ah, the good stuff, I was afraid my brother'd done drank it all last week during that party o' his," she said, and then found Twilight levitating in glasses behind her, nodding her head in thanks as she began to fill them up, one for herself, Twilight, and Octavia, but then stopping when she got to the two for you and Deasly.

"Uh...so, how you two gonna drink?" she asked, and you smirk, suddenly remembering an old quote.

"To paraphrase Tony Stark, 'Who needs to swim in money, when you can swim in liquor?'" you say, and Deasly, after a moment's hesitation, nods, and Applejack pours some into one of the glasses. Deasly then levitates you over to it, not even seeming to strain, despite your similar weight, dropping you bodily into the glass, before asking Octavia to do the same to him. Oddly, you hear Octavia whisper, under her breath, that he tasted good too, making you smirk, as the pair of you begin to swim and kick inside the glass, taking big gulps, while the girls click their glasses together, and then start drinking themselves.

To say the next few...well, it was longer than a minute, but probably shorter than a year, though time gets muddied when you're swimming in wine. Anyway, to say it went swimmingly would be both accurate and inaccurate at the same time. You and Deasly were enjoying yourself, and so were the girls, who, after each having at least two glasses, though Applejack took five, were all feeling tipsy. That is to say, things that should have been terrible, terrible ideas, started to sound like fun, and you found yourselves encouraging each other to do something things that would have embarrassed your parents, and made other relations, if any of your other relations were still talking to you, refuse to acknowledge any relation at all.

Backing up, the first thing that went like that was Twilight being asked if she could juggle with her magic, which she did, for a while, taking first one apple, than two, three, seven, and so on, until she had a physical ring of apples floating in front of her. Luckily, his activity ended with less than twelve apples smashed into various things, to the sound of drunken laughter. Octavia was next on the list, and chugged four glasses of apple wine at once, her eyes seeming to turn the color of the stuff as she guzzled down the last of it, and then fell over, to much more drunken laughter, including her own. After that Applejack...you know what, that's private, and no one needs to know what Applejack might have admitted about a certain pony while she was inebriated.

When it came time for the two of you to take up on the drunken fun, you found Deasly leaning over the edge of the glass, smirking happily, but in no condition to do much at all, so you decided to have a little fun. Splashing him a bit, you then grabbed his hind legs, and dragged him back into the glass, screaming a bit, before turning into a gurgle the next moment. Now, it should be noted that you had been swimming in the alcohol this whole time, and thus, were quite a bit out of sorts in your though processes, so thinking this was a good idea wasn't a big stretch. Of course, if you had been thinking, it would have occurred to you that surprising a drunken unicorn with a shrink spell might not be a good idea, and it wasn't, as in this case, you and he were both covered in a flash of light, and suddenly found yourselves much smaller than before. To wit, instead of two mouse sized beings swimming in a glass of wine, suddenly there were two bug sized beings, probably a bit bigger than fleas, but definitely smaller than flies.

"Huh? Waz zhat?" said a voice, this one sounding drunk and distorted by the walls of the glass you were swimming in, still laughing as Deasly coughed, gagged, and then laughed himself. Looking up, you saw the face of a gray mare, not a particularly old one, wearing a bow tie. She was happily drunk too, smiling as she looked into the glass, and then turned towards the distorted images of Twilight and Applejack.

"Th-the-theeeee things in the grass, they van-hic!" she tried to say, hiccuping and then coughing loudly, making the other two ponies laugh in delight. Before you could do much laughing yourself though, Twilight told her to drink something to deal with the hiccups, and you and Deasly found yourselves being pulled under the wine, as it was levitated upwards. The sensation was just enough to sober your human brain, where it didn't do it to Deasly, so when you finally broke surface, you were aware it was a bad thing that your view was now filled with Octavia's face, with her mouth opening, and coming up fast.

"Oh, she's got a pretty smile," said Deasly, and for a moment, you actually find yourself feeling jealous, but then that feeling is replaced by a cry, as the glass touches her lips, and tilts hard, sending the wine pouring into her mouth, the two of you having not even a second to react as you are dragged down into her maw. Once inside, you can feel the oppressive heat of her body, which would set you to sweating if you weren't already coated with wine. Passing between two teeth, you then flow over a whale like tongue, and towards the back of her mouth, plummeting over an abyss in a waterfall, that lands in a lake, you and Deasly both plunging beneath its tumultuous surface, as the world went black, and you felt, rather than heard, Octavia swallow.

The trip down is actually kind of fun, and in that weird, underwater echoy way, you can hear Deasly go WEEEE as the two of you are drawn down Octavia's throat, the walls undulating around you, creating motion that draws you up, then push you down, then drag you up, like some kind of carnival ride. The motions also forces more of the wine down your own throat with each push, and so, by the time you go spilling out of a valve in another waterfall to land amid the remains of Octavia's lunch, you are nice and drunk again yourself, completely out of sorts, and barely able to understand what was going on, as you and Deasly stood on a little bit of crust that had yet to digest all the way.

"That wash fon! Ag-hic-ain, again!" shouted Deasly, raising his forehooves and whooping a bit, getting you to laugh, until suddenly everything rumbled, and you felt a drag of air on you, trying to draw you towards the opening you'd come in through. It took a minute for you to realize that Octavia had just let out a wholly unladylike belch, that got you to laughing even harder, before you and Deasly both did the same.

"Ugh, that tasths aufol comin' bak up. I tink e'm gonna nap n-SNORE!-" Deasly, who had been standing, a bit unsteadily a moment ago, has his eyes close in midsentence, and then fall over flat, making you laugh, before a wave of sleep tries to wash over you, while everything gurgles and churns about you. Thinking for a moment, you know you should fight it, but it just feels so nice. A nap really would be good...a second later, the void takes you.

Mind, wake up is a bit of a misnomer. You are in the void, but rather than being formless, colorlessness that you're used to, you can feel red hot agony everywhere, and so the void wobbles and quakes with each beat of your heart. Then it shatters completely as something invades your void, and your eyes pop open to view a face you instantly recognize, and wish you didn't. Though you don't dream, somewhere, you had been hoping, against all odds, that you were in some kind of coma or something, but the feeling in your head is unmistakable as that childish face looking down at you. It's Applebloom, and you have a hangover. Mind, you doubt anyone on the network would have allowed that last fact on the show, but they were pretty clever about hiding it.

"Hey! He's awake!" she shouted, and your hands go to your head, which is pounding away, and the loud noise of a child shouting only makes it worse. Hangovers suck, that was the only thought the pain allowed in your mind, as suddenly another presence enters the room, and pushes the child back with a big red leg.

"Shush now, Bloom. He's got himself a massive hangover, what with that bottle downstairs being empty," says Big Macintosh, and you stare up at him. Luckily, you are mouse sized again. Not as good as being normal sized, mind, but better than as small as you last remember being. You find, interestingly enough, that you aren't intimidated by his presence now, probably because the pounding in your head and a fast developing rock in the pit of your stomach make it almost impossible to think about his massiveness.

"A hang-over? What's that?" asks the kid innocently, and Big Macintosh facehoofs.

"It's a thing older ponies get when they do something stupid, like drinking that golden stuff that's no good for you. Now get, I think you're friends are outside waitin," he tells her, and then pushes her with a single motion out the door, kind of kicking, kind of scooting her along, and then going to close it with a gentleness that belies his size.

"Sorry bout that, she's just a little enthusiastic. Figured I should let her in your room, since AJ ain't one you wanna be around when she's hungover," he tells you, trotting back.

"I can imagine. Now if you'd be so kind as to step on me, I'd feel obliged," you tell him, holding your head in one hand, and you stomach in the other. Mind, the askance for assistance with dying only prompts him to chuckle at you.

"Heh, you must have one heck of a bender after Ol' DC had to get you and his protege out of that music pony's belly like that. I figure you two were in a glass of that wine, right?" he asks, and you try to nod you head, but nearly fall over, being caught by his surprisingly soft hoof before you can topple over the edge of the bed.

"I figured as much. AJ shoulda known better than to get that bottle out. It was the firewhiskey I was saving for next Nightmare Night. Stuff kicks harder than a mule that's been applebucking all day," he explains, carrying you in his hoof towards the door.

"So, what happened with that? Last I remember was-ugh-being swallowed by Octavia," you explain, having to grip your head with both hands.

"And that was how DC and I found you, or rather, he found you. 'parently this ain't a rare thing with that 'prentice pony, he gets himself ate up a bit, and the Professor knew a way to find him right quick, inside Octavia, who we found sleepin' with AJ and Twi in the kitchen when we came in last night," he tells you, and you try to nod...then realize he said last night. It was now your third day in Equestria, and looking out the windows, you see morning sunlight, then wish you didn't as staring into the light only makes your head pound worse.

"You wouldn't happen to know if the Professor knows a hangover cure spell?" you ask, rubbing your eyes against the light and pain.

"I don't reckon he does, otherwise there were plenty o' times he'd ah used them after a night partin' with me," he says, as he carries you into the kitchen, to find DawnChaser awake and about, with no sign of anyone else. Looking at him, he smiles, and you try to return it, before grabbing your head again, and wishing there was something to make this hangover go away. All at once, a flash of light happens as you wish and you're blinded by it.

You sight is dazzled for a moment, and when they clear, the pain induced haze that had been clouding your thoughts since the void broke is gone. It's not just lessened, or subdued, but out and out gone, something the surprises you, and Big Macintosh even more so, well the flash is what surprises him really, so he drops you. Well, more correctly, he stops holding you up, as yesterday, you're able to fly, this time with no faltering or wavering, but just a steady, slight up and down motion, as you grip your head, wondering just what is going on.

"What in the hay was that?" asks Big Macintosh, voicing your own question, and for once, you see DawnChaser has a serious look on his face, as he trots over to where his saddlebags are hanging on a peg, and pulls some things out of them, bringing them towards you.

"If I had to guess, my good Apple, I would say that was a spell being cast," he said, pointing something at you. Being free of the pain of a hangover, you look on with interest at the thing, which appears to be something out of a steampunk Ghostbusters, a PKE meter with tubes that whistles a bit as DawnChaser adjusts some controls while keeping the device pointed towards you.

"Tell me, what spell was it?" he asks, "I would guess one for flight, but according to the girls last night, you already had this power, it was just, limited for some reason, by the time you ran into my apprentice and I."

"Well, um, yeah, after Celestia tried to help me, I found I could fly. I think I just cured my hangover," you say, a bit more coherently than you'd spoken to Big Macintosh before, as you stop holding your head, shake it a bit to clear it, and then raise yourself up to eye level with DawnChaser.

"Really? That's fascinating. There must be a hundred variables for a spell like that. I think...you know, I wonder," he said, and started to mumble to himself as he adjusted a few more knobs on the device, and then began to pull out some books from his saddlebag. One was the Pony Book, the one with the info on everypony in Equestria, and now yourself as well, the other was something different, though the Professer wasn't sharing its contents, as he began to furiously write in both of them, three quills flying out of his pack, two writing something in the Pony Book, and the other in the other tome.

"Um, DawnChaser?" you ask, but Big Macintosh somehow grabs you with his hoof, and pulls you back, shaking his head at you.

"Won't do no good t'all to try conversatin' with him when he gets like that, believe me, ah know," said the big stallion, looking at his friend, and then turning back towards the stairs you hadn't noticed in your hungover state that you and he had walked down.

"Say, think you can do that trick again?" he asks, motioning towards the stairs. Looking back at the Professor, who doesn't seem to be inclined to move, or answer any questions anypony, or human, asks him, you nod.

"I can try, but I can't promise it will work," you tell him, and you two fly off...well, you fly, he walks, and you both vanish up the stairs, leaving the Professor to his books. When you get upstairs, you notice several doors, more than you would have expected for a four pony family like the Apples.

"I thought it was just you, Granny Smith, Applebloom, and Applejack here on the farm," you comment aloud, and it was Big Macintosh's turn to nod.

"Most ah the time, yeah, but sometimes we have family come over tah visit. It pays to have an extra room or dozen free," he answers, and you can only nod in reply. It makes sense, especially if the Apple Family Reunion is held at Sweet Apple Acres every year, or if there are just that many Apples in the world, and they can stop in at any time, as seemed to be the case.

"So, who should we try to cure the hangover of first?" you ask, looking towards the rooms. You can hear snoring, painful sounding one, behind one door, and some light breezy stuff behind another, while the other doors are silent.

"Well, mah sis is a good gal, but if this don't work, ah don't think we wanna be near her," he said, pointing his hoof towards the door with the light, airy sounding snore coming from behind it.

"And Twilight, she's liable to fry us both what good with her magic if we open that door without some way to help her," he went on, pointing this time towards the rancorous snoring door, and your eyes bulge a bit at it. Mind, you hadn't really seen the ponies asleep on the show, so you'd never heard them snore, but Twilight never made that much noise...except when she was evolving into a Rapidash when Pinkie Pie made her mad.

"So, Octavia or Deasly?" you say, and he points towards two doors nearby, neither of which have snores coming from behind them, meaning their occupants are either awake, or just don't snore. Looking at them, you wonder which to go to yourself, as Deasly was probably in a sorry state, and likely didn't want to wake up yet, while Octavia, once she was clearheaded enough to remember what she'd done, would feel like the worst pony in the world for doing that to you and him. Either one was likely to not appreciate the wakeup if this didn't work.


End file.
